Narcissa Malfoy's twins
by slytherinsal
Summary: NOT in the Kraitverse. A novella exploring what could happen if Narcissa Malfoy encountered Vernon Dursley and decided that the best way to protect Draco was to control the Potter boy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note; Harry Potter is English, and I will use English terminology throughout. Therefore an infant is someone above the age of a toddler [under about 2] to age 7 when they move out of infant school [age 4-6] into junior school [age 7-10] and thence to secondary school [age 11-16 or if you stay in education 11-18]. Primary school is the combined infant and junior school. We shan't go into nursery school or middle school. Note however that Hogwarts is a Public School, which means it is administered by Governors but is fee paying. I know JKR later said it was free, but if it was free, you'd have people like Stan Shunpike going there and that I cannot see…all the kids there are really quite posh kids. None of them are hooligans [even Sirius Black]**_

 _Note, this was written to amuse myself when I wasn't feeling well. I know it's more tell than show, and I know that I could rewrite it to be novel length instead of essentially a novel outline. Yes, I can write better than this, but I don't have the time or energy as the family has had another large dose of real life. I will probably do better if [or likely when] I write a sequel.  
_

 **Chapter 1**

"You weirdo! You're part of them, that crowd with the funny business! Well let me tell you I don't want to have anything to do with you, it's bad enough that you dumped that _freak_ onto me! Get out!" the big fat man screeched.

Nobody ever accused Narcissa Black Malfoy of being a fool. In fact she was a very shrewd, intelligent woman. And she adored her infant son, Draco, with an obsession that might have tipped over into the madness of the Black family had not Narcissa managed to draw the lucky card in her family and had neither the madness nor the temper.

And when the Dark Lord was banished trying to kill the Potter boy it was a blessed relief from strain. The snaky megalomaniac was insane, of that Narcissa was convinced, and her sister Bellatrix quite as crazy.

He would return, Lucius was convinced, and the idiot seemed to think that this was a matter of rejoicing. He had wriggled out of being put in Azkaban by claiming the Imperius Curse, and had been insufferably smug about it. He had every intention of raising Draco as a Death Eater and dragging that precious baby into his schemes. Narcissa had no intention of ever permitting that to happen, and was making plans early. She had set up a muggle house, and papers for herself in the muggle world, and was busy using Black family money to obtain possessions in the muggle world, so that she and Draco could just disappear if need be. And she had come to inspect the factory she had just bought shares in, one Grunnings Drills, and had been introduced to the manager, Vernon Dursley, who had stared at her modish gown and appeared to have flipped.

"Incarcerous" murmured Narcissa, who was better at wandless magic than her husband; Slytherin girls were more spiteful than the boys and operating wandless or wordless were survival characteristics. "Legilimens," she added.

What Dursley was thinking about was about the _freak_ who was undoubtedly the Potter child, and how he had been left on the doorstep and something about blood wards to protect him from Voldemort.

This implied that the Dark Lord could somehow sense or find the boy. Maybe it had to do with the scar. It didn't matter. Narcissa smiled grimly. Blood wards were old ancestral magic, and it would work equally well for her. James Potter's mother had been Dorea Black and the familial connection was quite sufficient. Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived for a reason. He was the boy who could defeat the Dark Lord when he grew into his powers as no other Death Eater could. And some had tried, and died horribly for it. Lucius had at least had the sense to do no more than contemplate it briefly. He had been resistant to Narcissa's idea that the residue of the Dark Mark should be removed, so Narcissa had been working on rituals on her own, while he slept or was at the ministry. So far nothing had worked, and Narcissa was coming fast to the conclusion that the incantation must have a Parseltongue component. At least she was not herself marked; with the fashions for sleeveless ball gowns it had not been a good idea. Only Bellatrix of the females associated with Voldemort had embraced the dark mark willingly, but Bellatrix, sister or no, was barking.

Narcissa's mind worked fast, and soon Vernon Dursley, under the Imperius Curse was driving back to Privet Drive, and inviting her in. He opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs, and Narcissa retched at the stench, and looked into terrified green eyes.

 _Powers,_ thought Narcissa, _muggles are disgusting! They keep their young like this?_

She revised her opinion when a fat little toddler ran out of another room, went into the cupboard and kicked Harry Potter.

"That's it, son, you put the boot in to the little freak," said Vernon fondly, this not conflicting with his imperiused commands. Narcissa reached into the cupboard and lifted the cringing, filthy child within. He shot up in her arms although he was the same age as her Draco, give a month or two, and Draco was slight from the high elven blood of the Malfoys. She vanished all the evidence of the child from the cupboard, and stared into Vernon's eyes.

"Jus' my wife and son, I ain't told m'sister yet," he mumbled out loud.

Three very efficient obliviates later, and Narcissa walked out of number 4 Privet Drive with a cleaner bundle, sleeping with the relief of healing spells. If anyone were to treat her Draco this way …. No, she must not think of him as a child, he was the means to kill the Dark Lord, a sacrifice to save her Draco. But he would need a stable childhood to be able to manage that. The house elves would see to that and Lucius … well she would try reason with Lucius, and failing that, there were other methods. The scar was a problem. It would have to be disguised, which would hurt the boy, but that could not be helped. He would be at risk otherwise.

The child, almost three years old, whimpered.

"Hush, little one. My … Orion," she whispered. He would be her hunter to hunt Voldemort; and if he was called Harry at all, not 'Freak', which Narcissa doubted, then Orion was close enough for baby lips not to give himself away. In a year he would know his name.

"Are you mad, Narcissa?" demanded Lucius.

"Do you _like_ creeping on the ground and kissing that arse's robes?" said Narcissa waspishly. "I consider it demeaning. He may be the heir of Slytherin but his name is Tom Riddle, not Tom Gaunt, and whoever heard of a Gaunt called Tom? Or any wizard with a name like Riddle? He's a blood liar if you ask me, I doubt he's even pure blood."

"It doesn't matter; he's powerful."

"Oh, a hypocrite too, Lucius? A grovelling, cowering hypocrite, and if you try that you will regret it," she added, and the spell he was formulating dissipated. "Your precious lord is so powerful he was defeated by a year old baby. And that baby lives and is marked, and he is our salvation. If he can defeat _Riddle_ when he is an infant, when he is grown, and taught all the old magics, and your fey magics, he will be unbeatable and he can free us."

"You traitor!" Lucius gasped. "You will die for that!"

Narcissa did not roll her eyes; she did not have time. She activated the previously prepared runestone and Lucius dropped like a stone.

Well, it had been worth a try, if only her husband was not such a stubborn idiot. They needed him alive for the time being to see whether or not the dark mark could be removed, if only Narcissa could contact a Parselmouth. If the dark mark could be removed, then maybe so could Harry's – Orion's – scar. Which would obviate the need to scald the poor child to hide it inside a larger scar. Well, first of all Lucius must be obliviated to believe that he had twin sons, and then he could be kept … quiescent … on a series of potions that might have him climbing into rose bushes to dance with fairies but should keep him from making trouble.

And Narcissa must make sure to obliviate anyone who had met Draco on his own, and laughingly mention, with some compulsion magic, [] that Lucius had been so pleased when his first son was born that he sent out notices without waiting to see that he had another. And that he did not like Orion so well since the boy resembled the Blacks more than the Malfoys.

A few transfigurations with a bit of ritual familial magic would help with that. The boy's hair had already become blond under Narcissa's magic, and the elves had been told that this was another young master Malfoy, who was their responsibility to look after as well as Master Draco.

She would need allies.

And as much as she loathed muggles, Narcissa loathed Voldemort more.

And she was unable to disappear into the world of muggles if a wizard-hater like Dursley recognised her robes as magical garb. She would need education in how to be a muggle for that contingency, to raise her son … her sons … as muggle borns if need be, until Orion was strong enough for his destiny. She would raise him to always look out for Draco and protect him. But she needed aid now.

There was her cousin Sirius who had opposed Voldemort, and had been convicted of Pettigrew's crime. Lucius had laughed about it. But Sirius would be head of the family; he had never been removed from the line of succession formally. And that might be important.

Sooner or later, Harry Potter would be missed, and then she, as a member of the Black family, could raise questions about why Sirius had been got out of the way, when he was the obvious person to have care of the boy. He had never had a trial. That should be protested. Even though she and Sirius did not get on, it would be understood by all the old families that she had her duty to him. And he would be sufficiently glad to get out of Azkaban, the crazy mutt might even be willing to help protect Orion until he was old enough.

That was risky though. Sirius was unpredictable. Still, if he knew how the muggles were treating the boy, he might be grateful.

And then there was Severus. Severus was suspect; he had lusted after Lily Evans Potter, and he had been rescued from Azkaban by Dumbledore himself. Did he serve Voldemort, or did he serve Dumbledore? Or did he serve Severus Snape? Narcissa had been offhandedly kind to him when he was at Hogwarts, he might be grateful in return. He was at least a Slytherin. Understanding Gryffindors was beyond comprehension.

And that was another reason never to trust Dumbledore. He was not only a Gryffindor, he had also chosen to immure Orion with those ghastly muggles as 'Harry's only relatives' when the old bastard could have chosen to put him with Narcissa's sister Andromeda, who had also turned her back on the Noble Family Black, using the blood bonds of James' mother. And Andromeda would have been delighted.

Maybe it was time to forgive her sister for being a blood traitor. And that would be a safe way to learn about muggles too.

Narcissa smiled. With Lucius firmly drugged into permanent euphoria, she would be able to build a life for herself. One without Lucius. She should have poisoned him years ago. Well, it would be an interesting experiment to see what prolonged exposure to the elixir of euphoria did to someone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It had been easy enough to poison Severus with veritaserum; he never ate or drank when he was out of Hogwarts or, presumably, in the privacy of his own home, but he had been unprepared for Narcissa to suddenly turn her perfume diffuser on him, and he sat with glazed eyes.

Narcissa absently bound him.

"Nothing personal, Severus, but you're very good, and I don't want to take any chances when the effects wear off," she said, conversationally. "A mother's paranoia, you might say. I need to know; do you wholeheartedly support the dark lord?"

"… n…no…" it was wrung from him.

"Do you support Dumbledore?"

"Y… y…. yes."

"You might change your mind on that when I've finished," said Narcissa, grimly. "Severus, you were abused as a child, weren't you? You came back with fresh bruises every term."

"My father," he said, dully.

"So. If you support Dumbledore, you believe in the protection of the Boy Who Lived, correct?"

"I am at Hogwarts for Lily's boy. He should have been mine."

Well, that was interesting.

"So you would not be happy that the muggle relatives he was placed with have hit him, locked him in a cupboard, starved him…"

Severus managed to struggle to his feet, with the chair he was bound to.

"I'll effing KILL Petunia Evans!" he screamed.

"Sit down, Severus, I think someone else might manage that first, if it all goes to plan," said Narcissa. "And if you've managed to throw off the potion, I'll tell you my plans."

Severus glowered at her. Really he was quite sexy when he did that, thought Narcissa. Much more so than her cold fish of a husband. Hmm. Interesting. She ignored that stray and irrelevant thought, and smiled at him.

"And what about Dumbledore?" she asked.

"I'm sure he didn't know," said Severus, stiffly, fighting off the potion. He had not received a full dose.

"Really? Are you totally sure?" asked Narcissa, sceptically. "He's a manipulator. He may not know in detail, but you can be pretty sure he expects the boy to be treated less well than the whale and consort's rubber ball of a son."

"He had no choice."

"He had the choice of my sister Andromeda," said Narcissa, crisply. "And he had the choice of insisting on a trial for my cousin Sirius, at which it would have been discovered that it was Peter Pettigrew who was the secret keeper who betrayed the Potters."

"What? But Wormtail is dead!"

"Wrong. He faked it. I don't know where he is, but Lucius knew all about it."

"Black deserves Azkaban; he tried to kill me when we were sixteen."

"That might be a handicap when I come to have him released. I will require you both to put aside your antipathy. For what Dumbledore would call 'the greater good' and what I call expediency to suit my plans to keep my own son out of the grip of the Death Eaters. And if you are with Dumbledore, you might be interested in my researches to try to remove the dark mark."

His eyes were hungry.

"He'll want me to spy again though. You are talking as though you want to escape."

"I do. Voldemort is insane, crazy like a fox, several knuts short of a galleon, put it however you choose. And I have no intention of sacrificing Draco to the cause of anyone, even a pure blood, which I'm pretty sure he is not. Do you really want to spy again, and put up with the dark one's entertainments?"

Severus flushed.

"No, but I will have no choice."

"You will, if instead of isolated, bullied, cowed and robbed of self worth the chosen one is trained by old magics, in a place where underage magic is overlooked, and taught from the first by a loving mother that he has a destiny to protect, and that he can succeed."

"A mother's love?"

"Mother love is ruthless and powerful, Severus."

"My mother didn't love me. And I knew. If you purpose to steal the child away, for one thing he will be found, and for another, it will be apparent to him that it is Draco you love … Merlin's bedsocks, Narcissa, you already have him?"

"My little Orion… and he is mine, too, Severus. I didn't mean to love him like I love Draco, but I do… he is my baby too, but if he has to face that fishy bastard, I mean to make sure he has every measure at his disposal to do so successfully. And that does not include the machinations of that political creature at Hogwarts. Look inside yourself! How did he get you to turn? You were as committed as any of the other idiots!"

Severus blinked.

If there was anything that was needed to convince him that Narcissa was on the level about opposing Voldemort it was the scorn and despite in her voice in calling the Death Eaters idiots. Anyone faking might be expected to condemn them as evil, but not as idiots.

"I'm listening," he said.

Half an hour later, Severus was moderately convinced that he had been played like a fish by a master manipulator who could have given Tom Riddle lessons in callous puppet mastery. He still thought that Dumbledore was better than the alternative, but the thought that a little honesty might have been nice did leave a long ridge of resentment in his thoughts.

"I want to legilimens you, Narcissa, about the Dursleys," he said. "I don't think you are a better occlumens than I am a legilimens."

"I am not but I'd like to learn more," said Narcissa.

Severus searched her memory, and choked at the stench of blood and urine and faeces in the cupboard. And at Lily's eyes in the darkness.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Help with rituals to remove the dark mark; it might also get rid of Orion's scar," said Narcissa. "I think we need a parselmouth."

"Well that could be a problem," said Severus, dryly. "I don't know of any beside Riddle himself."

Narcissa slumped.

"Then we shall have to look," she said.

Meanwhile, Orion Malfoy had met his brother Draco, who had been ready to protest competition for attention except that his mummy had cuddled him and made him understand that Orion had always been his brother and was there to look after him and love him and protect him.

Orion was happy to have a brother to love, one who wasn't twice his size and about to fight him. It had only taken a few days and the special magic that had been Lily Evans' legacy of love before the brothers were doing everything together, and even sleeping holding hands.

And with the tender care of the house elves, and potions they and Narcissa prepared, Orion was growing to be a more normal size for a three year old boy.

Draco did all the talking. But Orion loved his new brother and when Draco considered having a tantrum, Orion said 'no' very quietly. And then they would go and watch Papa, dancing through the garden giggling.

Nobody missed Harry Potter for a while. Arabella Figg was watching for him, but she knew that Petunia did not take him out with her fat lump of a son, and assumed that he was left at home so that the scar did not attract notice, and that Petunia was being over-protective.

She did take a card for both the boys on their shared birthday, and was confused when Petunia asked blankly "Who's Harry?"

This was worrying, and Arabella Figg hurried home to report to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore himself turned up, and the Dursleys were obliviated a second time, to forget his visit when he discovered that all memory of Harry and his parents had been painstakingly removed. Petunia remembered only grieving for a sister who had died when she was eleven. It had been meticulously done, and Dumbledore metaphorically raised his hat to a master.

But of the boy there was no sign, and no clue as to the obliviator, since it was not the work of any Death Eater Dumbledore recognised, being too subtle, and without brute force.

Dumbledore concluded that Harry Potter was in the hands of the Ministry, taken by the orders of someone in the Ministry for his own political ends. And without proof, he could not move on this, but he could start plans to bring down the government, something he would never have considered doing had not the fate of one small boy been so vital.

One small boy was learning to be happy, allowed to eat all he wanted, within

reason, given toys, treats, and clothes that fit him. Spanked occasionally by his elven nurse, but never hit hard, and never told off for making sparks come out of his fingers. Indeed when he first did this, and cowered, his new mummy had picked him up and kissed him, and told him what a clever boy he was.

He had been in trouble for putting new daddy's feet on backwards when Lucius swatted at Draco, but the spanking was almost a love pat. Narcissa had giggled almost as much as the boys.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Say ' _sessssthosss_ ' to the snake, Draco, it means 'hello'," Narcissa overheard Orion tell his brother shortly after their fourth birthdays.

She almost fell over her feet to see what was happening in their den by the stream. The boys were lying on their stomachs as a grass snake hissed at them. And Orion was hissing back. Draco tried,

" _Sesssthosss_ " and the snake shook as though it was laughing.

"Why can't I do it easily like you?" asked Draco, petulantly.

"I don't know," said Orion. "Oh, here's mummy. Mummy, why can I speak to snakes and Draco can't?"

The grass snake fled a big human. Little humans who talked were one thing but big humans were something else.

"I … Dear me, Orion, I think it's time mummy told you boys something. Now come and give me a cuddle." Narcissa summoned a blanket to put on a log; she was not enamoured of the great outdoors but it was important for the children to play and grow. She sat down and positioned a blond small boy on each knee. Orion's hair was unruly, and Draco's was sleek. She smoothed a hand through both.

"When you were a baby, Orion, a bad man tried to kill you. He … he killed other relatives who were trying to protect you. We think he knows that you are going to be a wizard who is strong enough to kill him one day. But he sort of missed. He left that scar of yours, and it looks a bit like a snake, doesn't it? But he spoke to snakes. I expect he accidentally lost some of his power and it stuck in you with the scar."

Orion rubbed his scar.

"It doesn't go away," he said.

"No, he was a very bad man, and it's cursed," said Narcissa. "Uncle Severus has been helping me look for a way to get rid of it. But we thought it needs a Parselmouth, someone who can speak with snakes."

"I don't know enough!" said Orion, frowning in frustration.

"No, but if Draco is very clever and can learn a bit how to talk to snakes, it means you might be able to teach mummy and Uncle Severus as well," said Narcissa. "I know there's a book in the library with the notation – with the alphabet – of a man who could talk to snakes, and he wrote some down. Uncle Severus can let you boys look at it if you like, when you do lessons with him."

Draco nodded.

"I want to talk to snakes too, it's cool," he said. "And Dora can't either, I bet."

Narcissa laughed. It had taken some negotiations with Andromeda to gain her sister's trust, and at that, Narcissa had not shared with Andromeda who Orion really was. He wore his hair brushed over the scar when Andi and her daughter Nymphadora visited.

"I don't think you should tell Dora, she might want to learn too, and then you boys won't have anything special," she said. Dora, as a metamorphagus, already had both boys jealous of her skills. They would keep it quiet.

Now she would have to tell Severus that they had their Parselmouth. And work around the scheduled release of her cousin Sirius from Azkaban. Life suddenly got much more interesting.

The Daily Prophet had a rival publication in The Wizarding Times, produced by sundry members of the Order of the Phoenix, and containing enough salacious gossip and good spells and potions for everyday use to rival that Ministry-controlled publication in readership. And in the Times was a much more subtle campaign against Fudge than the sloppy reporters working for the Prophet managed.

The Times demanded monthly to know where The Boy Who Lived was. It had cost the Minister her post, and the new minister, Cornelius Fudge, was quite as puzzled as his predecessor.

As Fudge had no idea himself, he had not, at first, realised that the Times was a Dumbledore-loyal publication, and ran similar articles in the Prophet, pointing a less than subtle finger at Dumbledore over hiding him.

It came to a head when Dumbledore faced out Fudge, and outright accused him of taking the boy away from his only protection for his own political ends.

"I haven't touched the boy," said Fudge. "Besides, what is this nonsense about protection? You-Know-Who is dead."

"You know he was not killed, only disembodied," said Dumbledore. "Are you planning to use Harry as bait, and fondly and erroneously suppose that you can kill Voldemort?"

"Disembodied is dead in my book," snapped Fudge. "I have no idea where you are hiding him, or why you are accusing me of doing so."

"The obliviation of his Aunt and Uncle was too precise and subtle for most Death Eaters to manage," said Dumbledore. "I want him back. And so will Sirius Black when he is released."

"I agreed to a trial," said Fudge. "And only because I can't afford to irritate old and respected families."

Narcissa had brought all the weight of old and respected to bear. Dumbledore could not see why; if he was innocent, it was hardly in her interests, and if he was guilty, then he would be returned to Azkaban. However, he had supported Narcissa, to her surprise, because it was in his own interests to embarrass the current administration over sending people to prison without trial. Dumbledore was ruthlessly manipulative but he did mean well, and had no idea how many paving slabs he was inclined to make on the way to hell.

"It will be interesting to hear Black's testimony," said Dumbledore. "Something that should have been heard three years ago."

Fudge shrugged.

"Crouch said the evidence was overwhelming. We got all the Death Eaters and put them in gaol, so what is there to gain?"

"Maybe why a supposed staunch friend should turn against someone he had been friendly with for ten years?" said Dumbledore, mildly. "Knowing by what means Voldemort recruited so close a friend might just enable us to avoid it happening again when he returns."

"He isn't going to return," said Fudge.

"If you really believe that, you are going to be very, very shocked when he does," said Dumbledore. "It doesn't tell us where Harry is."

"Maybe your precious muggles killed him and buried him quietly," said Fudge.

Dumbledore paled, and finished his business as soon as he could to dash back to Hogwarts to look for the name 'Harry Potter' in the book of students due to start in 1991.

It was not there.

Dumbledore, for perhaps the first time in his life, passed out.

When he came too, with a concerned Minerva McGonagall beside him, he said,

"Then we have lost."

"Whit are ye bletherin' aboot, headmaster?" asked Minerva.

"Look in the book for Harry Potter," said Dumbledore, dully, sitting on the floor.

Minerva did so, and gasped.

"He is dead?" she cried. "Then … then putting him with those unpleasant people was for nothing? Did they kill him?"

"No; they were obliviated," said Dumbledore, regaining some semblance of logical thought. "Someone else got to him and killed him."

"But no Death Eater could go through that ward; even Severus," said Minerva, shocked.

"But a social worker could, if they were under Imperious Curse," said Dumbledore. "It would take a Death Eater who knows how to play the muggle system."

"I doubt there are any," said Minerva. "Lucius has financial interests in the muggle world but he has no more idea of how muggles live than a canary does."

"Probably less," said Dumbledore. "I'm hearing reports that Lucius is losing it, anyway; he seems to have become a euphoria elixir addict. Probably the relief at avoiding Azkaban, but it does at least make him less dangerous. But it wasn't him, the obliviation was more subtle even than Rookwood manages."

"Albus … wouldn't a Fidelius Charm also hide his name from the book?" asked Minerva.

"It might. But who …?"

"If Sirius Black is innocent, then it might easily be Remus or Andromeda," suggested Minerva. "Even if were not innocent, they might care about James and Lily's boy."

"But why would they go behind my back?" demanded Dumbledore.

"Albus, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You can be overbearing when you have decided that something is the 'right' course, and if Andi or Remus decided to visit, and saw that Petunia was not perhaps the best person to care for Harry, either one is likely to have spirited him away."

Dumbledore sighed.

"I have trusted them," he grumbled.

"And perhaps they will trust you to be told one day where he is," said Minerva. "I cannot believe that he is dead. Every feeling revolts against it. He is not, I am sure. Because if he had been, that old fool Trelawney would have surely mooed about it to you."

Dumbledore brightened. He had no great opinion of Sybil Trelawney's capabilities in the general way, but she was a true seer over things that counted, even if her usual divinational capabilities were as close as predicting that a blue sun would rise in the west.

"You have a good point," he said. "I am not sure how to break it to Severus though."

"I'd stay off the subject until you have more facts," said Minerva, dryly.

Neither of them particularly noticed that Orion Malfoy was next to Draco Malfoy in the book, which altered to the name by which most people closest to the child concerned knew him or her.

Harry Potter had simply, in his own mind, ceased to exist.

Orion and Draco Malfoy were far too busy and happy learning about snakes, and learning Herpo the Foul's parselmouth notation, and adding to it, and teaching Uncle Severus words to make a parselmouth dictionary as Draco learned by sheer stubborn willpower to know as much as his twin.

The trial of Sirius Black was something of a sensation, and Quik Quotes™ pens were much in evidence from both Prophet and Times reporters. The filthy figure of Sirius Black was manacled with magic-sapping manacles and he was administered veritaserum.

"Were you the secret keeper of Lily and James Potter?" Amelia Bones asked first.

"No."

This was a sensation.

"Will the court remain silent or I will have it cleared," said Madam Bones. "If you were not the secret keeper, who was?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you kill him?"

"No."

"Did you kill the other muggles?"

"No. Peter did, I think. I don't know what happened to him. He betrayed James, Lily and Harry," said Sirius. He hesitated. "He's a rat animagus," he added.

More sensation.

"Very well. It appears that we do have a miscarriage of justice here," said Amelia Bones. "And you owe your cousin Narcissa thanks for raising the issue and campaigning to get you a fair trial. She will take you back to her home to recouperate."

"Narcissa?" Sirius could not believe it. "I am not going to Malfoy Manor."

"Don't worry, Lucius won't make a nuisance of himself," said Narcissa, coming over. "He's become an addict. It's much more restful that way; you know it was an arranged marriage."

"I thought you were happy with it."

"I was, before Lucius started going insane and associating with people I would not want near my little boys," said Narcissa, primly. "I will talk to you more when you are in a better state to cope with it under a number of restoring potions. I have straitly forbidden Severus from giving you any amusing side effects in the potions he is brewing for you."

"Wait a minute, why would Snivellus brew anything for me?"

"As a favour to me, dear cousin."

Sirius suddenly wondered whether his old enemy was poisoning Lucius in order to have Narcissa for himself, and was coming to the conclusion that even Snivellus would be a better cousin in law than Lucius.

He sighed and let Narcissa take him away by Portkey. He was too tired and battered to resist.

The interesting outcome was when Barty Crouch was arrested for crimes against justice and common humanity, and he refused to take veritaserum as it would loose his hold on the imperius curse he had on his son, believed dead.

Both Crouches were soon in Azkaban on multiple charges.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You will be civil to Severus," said Narcissa when Sirius awoke from 36 hours straight sleep on a feather mattress in clean pyjamas after a long hot bath. She passed him a tray with an appetising looking breakfast on it and a potion.

Sirius chugged the potion down, with less of a grimace than he expected – blueberry flavoured potions were a nice surprise - and dug into the food, cogitating.

"There's a lot of history between Snivellus and me, you know, Cissy," he said. "As there is between you and me. And I know you are doing this for a reason so I want to know what you want."

"I want to be free of Lucius to raise my sons."

"You had another while I was in that place?"

"No, Sirius, I have twins. And if you are ready to be co-operative I'll even tell you more about them."

"I'm not interested in kids bar Harry."

"Well perhaps we should start with how Harry was placed with Petunia and Vernon Dursley to be beaten and locked in a cupboard and Sirius, I am capable of putting you in manacles if you try to do anything stupidly rash," said Narcissa, freezing her cousin in place and deftly catching the tray with magic as he was about to spill it everywhere.

"But …"

"Listen, you big mutt, and listen well. And yes, of course I know you're a dog animagus so don't look at me suspiciously. Dumbledore made a mistake with putting Harry there; he could have blood warded him with Andromeda just as easily, but the old fool didn't think of it. I don't trust him, but I want to change sides. And I want to get rid of Lucius because the fool still trusts in his Dark Lord. But I do NOT want Dumbledore to know that The Boy Who Lived is safe and under blood wards elsewhere because I don't believe he sees the child as anything but an asset."

"Is he with Andi, then?"

"No, Sirius, I am going to have to trust you because I am sure you will know him and he might know you. He is my son Orion now, Draco's twin, and he's now lost the pinched look of being massively underweight. When I took him, he was three years old and weighed little more than a stone. He was just 17lb. Shut up, Sirius, he's taller than Draco now, and about the same weight."

"You … Narcissa!"

"We want the same things, Sirius; we want the boy to grow up happy to be able to face the dark lord at an appropriate time, under his full powers unhampered by being a pawn to be sacrificed by the ministry or Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore wouldn't sacrifice …"

"Oh wouldn't he? If he thought it would save the majority of his students? He'd do it like a shot. And what's more I wager he had some idea about the Dursleys so that the boy grew up with only him to turn to. I've seen him do it with children before; your werewolf friend, who might have been a pawn of his in the ministry, with the best of motives of course, to bring in more rights for those classified as beasts. But Lupin got lucky and fell in with you and Potter."

Sirius went pale.

"You think he … Merlin's bedsocks! But … oh Cissy! How is Remus?"

"You can look him up for yourself, when you are fitter. I wasn't about to; I didn't think he'd trust me. You will understand when I tell you that by bond of blood and bond of honour I tell you the truth. He might be pure blooded but his family are not exactly in the upper echelons."

"No, I see. And if you swear by blood and honour I trust your word." Sirius calmed down; the ancient family rituals were not taken lightly. Ancient curses tied into heritance would see that such vows would backfire on anyone deliberately breaking them. "I … I would like to see him. If I write a message I can put in things that only I would write, and then he will listen to reason."

Narcissa nodded.

"I'll send Dobby; he has some irritating habits but he is more intelligent than many of them. Or Kreacher."

"Not Kreacher; he's a nutter. The only one he's ever taken notice of was Regulus."

"I always had a feeling that Regulus was trying to leave the dark lord. I wonder if Kreacher would know?"

"Really? Well Kreacher is as much a blood snob as anyone so I'm doubtful, myself. If you want to change sides you will have to get over hating muggles and muggleborn."

"I know. I was trying to find out more about muggles when I accidentally met Vernon Dursley."

"Accidentally?"

"Well, I wondered if it were fate, to be honest, but I was not looking for the Boy Who Lived, however, the opportunity presented seemed to good to be missed. And when Lucius was going to be stupid about it, I had to obliviate him."

"So he believes …Orion … is his? But he'll try to turn both of them into Death Eaters!"

"Not under a year's worth of Elixir of Euphoria he won't. He's starting to need it not to be depressed. I fancy if it wasn't available he might just save me the trouble of arranging an accident for him by killing himself."

"Same old ruthless Slytherin." It was not a compliment, and the growl that accompanied it made that clear. Narcissa shrugged.

"I like surviving and I do not want to grovel to a vile madman, nor do I want my boys to do so."

"I want control of my godson."

"He wouldn't thank you for it; he's happy having a brother he can play with. I didn't understand Dumbledore's insistence on love being strong magic, but I think the old fool was right on that one. A mother's love, and his brother's love will give Orion the strength to defeat the dark lord. An uncle's love will be good as well, if you can work with me on this."

"And if I can't?"

"I don't know, Sirius. I don't want to obliviate my own flesh and blood. I want my family around me. I want my children to grow up safely, and I want an end to Tom Riddle. Is that so very far from what you want?"

"I wouldn't have chosen my family, on the whole but … yes, I take your point. I will stay with you if Lucius is … neutralised and assess how Harry … Orion … is doing. It's my middle name."

"Yes, which is why you will more naturally be his godfather when I ask it of you. I know you already are, but it's a way to make it official."

"What about Draco?"

"I was considering Severus for the job. It would tie you and him together regardless of your antipathies because quarrelling would upset the boys. Both of them."

"You are ruthless, Narcissa. Doesn't Draco have a godfather?"

"Thank you. No, Lucius did not think it necessary; he felt that his lord was quite sufficient protection for him."

"I always thought Lucius was a clever man. Can he really be so stupid?"

"On his one blind point? Yes. Academic does not mean wise. And in this particular case downright moronic. I think the dark mark actually affects the brain, I swear Severus is more jumpy and inclined to ill humour than he was before he took the mark."

"He was loyal enough, I grant you, to the Order. I … we have issues."

"Yes, he said you tried to murder him."

"It wasn't like that! I was used to Moony, I forgot how dangerous a werewolf can be … hell, the only reason I wasn't expelled was because there'd be an investigation into Moony if I was, and the Ministry might have put him down …"

"And does Severus know that?"

"I … no, probably not, unless Dumbledore told him."

"Then you can apologise to him, and explain, can't you?" and Narcissa left her cousin spluttering.

Sirius was left with his own thoughts, which were very equivocal, until the door pushed open.

"We's come to see Uncle Sirius," said one small blond boy.

"It's Uncle Paddy!" squealed the other small blond boy, launching himself onto the bed. "Draco, it's Uncle Paddy, don't you 'member?"

Draco frowned.

"I don't remember," he said.

"I 'member," said Orion. "I … Uncle Paddy took me on a broom."

"I'll take both of you on a broom again when I'm well," said Sirius. Damn, the pup was different with blonde hair, and he could see touches of the Black family in his jaw and nose, but it was still Harry … but that name would not be safe. "I used to call you … Orry… but that's a baby name."

Orion nodded eagerly.

"I remember," he said.

"What did you call me?" asked Draco, squirming jealously closer.

"Oh, Drakey, but that's not for big boys either," Sirius lied smoothly. If he was to fall in with Narcissa's plans, there must be no suggestion that Orion Malfoy was Harry Potter. And maybe one day he would tell Dumbledore, but right now he was mad at Dumbledore, who had not seen that Harry was kept safe. Nor, for that matter, did it seem that he had made any effort to check why a prisoner could be sent without trial to Azkaban without even a chance to defend any supposed actions.

He needed to find out more.

And that potion Severus brewed had made him feel much better. He would meet Severus neutrally for the sake of his godson; and he would proceed slowly and find his way slowly, for the sake of his godson. It was not in his nature to be cautious, but he had his training as an auror to fall back on. And nobody trained by Madeye Moody had any right to act like a sixteen year old impetuous arse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Severus was not looking very forthcoming when he came in with another potion.

"Scoot you boys," he said.

"We can help, Uncle Severus," said Orion.

"Do you know Uncle Paddy?" asked Draco.

"Yes, and we had an argument last time we met and we need to talk about things that need to be talked about. You didn't want your nurse Lala to listen when Mummy made you apologise to each other for spoiling your cake by having a fight over who was to put which ingredients in, did you?"

Two little boys flushed and crept off the bed out of the door.

"You didn't have to let Uncle Paddy know about it," said Draco, accusingly as they headed for the door.

"Uncle … Paddy … would have found out anyway. He's an auror so you won't get away with anything," said Severus.

The boys squealed with delight.

"Tell us auror stories, Uncle Paddy!" demanded Orion.

"Another time, pups; now beat it," said Sirius.

They left.

"I have an apology to make and some explanations," said Sirius, hastily. "And by the way, thank you for the blueberry flavour."

"It's Orion's favourite; I've been brewing some for him, as he was so underweight from malnourishment. Narcissa told me in no uncertain terms to flavour it or she'd make a brew of Lucius' socks and make me drink it. I believed her," said Severus dryly.

"I appreciate you flavouring mine as well; you didn't have to. But … Powers, I have no idea where to begin!"

"How about what went through the mutt's brain when you tried to kill a schoolfellow? I knew you hated me, but until then I didn't hate you as much as I hated James for wanting Lily."

"Mutt's brain? I'm afraid your insult comes too close to the truth on that," said Sirius, blushing darkly. "I didn't mean to kill you! I … I wanted you frightened. I … can you believe I forgot how dangerous a werewolf is?"

Severus regarded him from hooded eyes.

"Actually, thinking about it dispassionately, I can," he said. "A mutt who was still half puppy. And I took a calming draught before coming to see you so I can think dispassionately."

"And …"

"Yes, I slipped one into your strengthening potion as well," said Severus. "I though that if Cissy wants us to work together, talking in the usual emotional storm would not be a good idea. Very well, you forgot that Lupin was dangerous. I can believe that, and it would be easier to put behind me if it hadn't given me a severe werewolf aversion. I start sweating when I'm anywhere near Lupin you know, even now."

"Well, I am sorry about that. But you wouldn't want him killed?"

"No, obviously. Why?"

"I … did Dumbledore tell you the only reason I wasn't expelled?"

"No. I assumed it was because you were a Gryffindor and I was only a Slytherin."

"He's not that obvious. It was to prevent the Ministry investigating, and finding out about Moony. He'd have been killed."

Severus' black eyes glittered as he regarded Sirius.

"You almost had two deaths on your conscience then," he said.

"Yes, and James, who didn't know what I was up to, any more than Moony did, stopped that happening," Sirius said.

"Instead it made me indirectly the murderer of James and Lily because I let Voldemort recruit me," said Severus softly.

"We share that blame," said Sirius. "I persuaded them to let Peter be the secret keeper. I thought I was too obvious a choice, and that I would be the one targeted; and everyone breaks eventually."

"Then the only thing we can both do to assuage the guilt we both bear is to see that their son grows up strong enough to survive being the object of prophesy," said Severus. "Personally I have no belief in such things at all, but Voldemort does believe in it, and that means he will be coming to destroy his supposed nemesis before the boy is ready, if he can. And that makes Orion a prophecy whether he or his family accept that he should be considered such at all, whether he wants to, or not. Narcissa thinks it best that he knows there is a bad man who wants to kill him, so it's less of a shock when he is older, if it's just something he accepts, like a family feud."

Sirius initially looked shocked and then nodded.

"Yes, I see," he said. "So long as he has a childhood as well as training to defend himself."

"Both the boys seem to enjoy themselves very well," said Severus dryly. "They were competing with colour change charms on their porridge at breakfast, and Orion got his flashing. And Draco is learning Parseltongue from Orion as well."

"What do you mean?" Sirius was tense.

"The dark lord appears to have left enough of himself in Orion that the boy is a parselmouth," explained Severus. "He's helping to write a dictionary of it, using Herpo's notation, and expanding on it as well. Narcissa thinks that knowing it can both remove the dark mark and Orion's scar. I'm not sure about the scar, it seems to me to be more than just a cursed wound, but I am not too sure. If we can't get rid of it, Narcissa plans to disguise it with something larger and more disfiguring, but obviously nobody wants to hurt him, even to protect him, if it can be avoided."

"No, quite," said Sirius, not sure whether to be furious with Narcissa for even thinking of it, or admire her thoroughness in protecting the pup.

Remus Lupin took the note from the excitable house elf and read it.

" _Moony, Mr. Padfoot would like you to help him manage some mischief. There's a lot I'm going to ask you to take on trust, but for reasons of my own I actually am trusting Narcissa on this. I will explain more when we are capable of being up to no good together. Please accept her invitation to stay for an extended period. Dobby can bring you secretly. Padfoot."_

Remus frowned. He had read about Sirius' release in the newspaper of course, and was deeply concerned over what Narcissa Malfoy was up to. She could have made Sirius write, but she could not have made him do so in terms of the passwords of the Marauders' Map.

He nodded to the agitated Dobby, who was starting to hop from one leg to another.

"Very well, help me to pack, er, Dobby, and I'll go with you."

"Dobby is glad to help Mr. Remus pack, Mr. Sirius growls without his keeper, Mistress Narcissa says," said Dobby.

"Your mistress would," said Remus, hoping that Narcissa would not look too much askance at his threadbare robes. His only decent clothes were the muggle suit he wore to take the classes in computing that would perhaps allow him a freelance job in the muggle world, where being incapacitated for a few days every month would not be such a handicap. He had written a few fairy stories that had been accepted by muggle children's magazines, which kept his head above water, but you needed to be good, prolific and lucky to make a living as a writer in the muggle world as much as the wizarding world. And Remus was neither prolific nor lucky, though he fancied he was not a bad writer.

He picked up his suitcase and the elf seized his arm, and deposited Remus tenderly in front of Narcissa.

"How do you do, Madam Malfoy?" Remus managed.

"Very well, thank you, Mr. Lupin. I am happy to be called Narcissa, however. I'll leave the mutt to explain what is going on, and if you want to shout, please do so quietly; my sons are having their midday nap."

"Er… thank you," said Remus.

Dobby showed him to the bedroom where he was to sleep and next door to Sirius's room.

Remus was glad of the warning to only shout quietly. He might not be as volatile as Padfoot, but the horror of what he was hearing might have shocked him into yelping like a wolf-cub in his disquiet.

Being greeted by a blonde child as Uncle Moony was one more shock, and having to deal with another sulky child who did not remember him for the very good reason of never having met him.

"Sure you remember Uncle Moony, pup," said Sirius to Draco. "You just forgot that you remember. Uncle Moony is the one who is good at telling stories."

And then Remus found himself with a little boy on each knee, spinning fairy tales. Sirius was right, Harry was happy being Orion; Narcissa plainly treated him well. It wrung his heart to hear the little boy talk of her as 'Mummy' as it must wring Sirius' heart too, but better that he was happy then being abused by those awful people! Severus had shared with Sirius what he had seen in the Pensieve of Narcissa's thoughts, and it was only weakness that had Sirius not trying to find the Dursleys to enact revenge. He had told Remus all about it because he had to share.

"It … it must have been like a child's version of Azkaban with no hope, no joy," he said; and Remus had gone cold. What chance would Harry have of facing evil with an upbringing like that? Dumbledore had slipped, thought Remus, unwilling to believe Narcissa's suggestion that it had been arranged purposely to isolate Harry to make him easier to control.

But he could not help wondering ….


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Remus went to dinner with Narcissa and Severus wishing he was not so shabby. He and Severus managed a nod to each other which contained neither antipathy nor friendliness.

"I'll be brewing wolfsbane for you, now Damocles Belby has perfected it," said Severus. "I've talked to him about it; I shouldn't have any trouble."

"No; you're a better potioneer than he is, even if Slughorn never noticed," said Remus.

"Uh, thank you," said Severus, swiftly masking the look of pleasure over being complimented.

Remus shrugged.

"It's true. Um, is Mr. Malfoy coming to dinner?" he added nervously.

"No, Lucius is having nursery tea on his own. I so dislike it when he throws bread pellets at me," said Narcissa.

"Oh," said Remus. "Er, Narcissa, Padfoot says you were, er, changing sides. Don't you think it might not be a bad idea to turn Lucius in, to get more credence in the, er, corridors of light?"

"I don't particularly want to have all his assets stripped from me," said Narcissa. "A Death Eater has their property sequestered as a matter of course."

"Nothing to stop you stripping his assets into a private account," said Severus. "And actually Lupin has a point. If you voluntarily hand him over and say that you want your sons to grow up without the taint in their rightful positions as heirs to the household, there's a strong likelihood that they will make a nominal attainder against Lucius' personal wealth. The idea is to discourage Death Eaters, not to antagonise the families of the leading two dozen. Indeed, if you were prepared to name other Death Eaters you would be in good odour. Now that Lucius is incapacitated by his addiction and you are free from the Imperius Curse he has held you under." He smirked at this piece of fiction.

"You are unwholesomely clever at times, Severus," said Narcissa. "Though I might as well have been under the Imperius Curse considering how much freedom of action I had. Trying to set up bolt holes has been very difficult. And even so I wonder if Lucius knew about some of my excursions and was waiting to turn up and taunt me if I fled."

"If they legilimens him they will find out about Harry," said Remus. "I'm sorry, I only just thought of that."

"They won't, either," said Severus. "I've legilimensed him myself and it's almost completely hidden under the beginning of his substance abuse. I am employed by Narcissa to cure her husband of course. I haven't found an answer yet." He gave a feral grin. "I haven't been looking very hard, but I do have notes if anyone asks. But I do think he is not worth keeping around, just to experiment on his dark mark. I swear he has hit Draco; if Orion doesn't jinx Lucius, Draco cowers."

Narcissa set her lips.

"I had wondered," she said. "He beat Draco once, and I told him that if he ever did so again, he should wonder which of his books would contain the poison that would only have an antidote to them if I was alive, well, and able to administer it. If I felt like it. I think maybe you are right; time for him, and his dark artefacts to go. Severus, please be so good as to search his black library for books to hide that we might need in our quest to undo a cursed wound."

Severus gave a curt nod.

"Can you give them other names?" asked Remus, curiously.

"Oh yes! And as I've taken over my husband's finances for him, I can tell the Wizgamot how much he pays off Fudge as well," said Narcissa. "I presume that will cause a change of government."

"Dumbledore would be ready to embrace you just for that, I wager," said Remus, dryly.

"Good. And as you are going to live here as tutor to my sons as well as keeping my cousin on a short leash, I think you need an advance on your salary so the boys don't ask you embarrassing questions about your wardrobe," said Narcissa. "Standard pay for a professor is board and three thousand galleons a year, I believe. Is that acceptable?"

Remus stared, his mouth open.

"Are … are you serious?" he asked, then gave a half smirk.

"The answer to that I fear is no, her cousin is Sirius," said Severus, with a brief sneer.

"It's a stupid sort of name, making fun of it helped him live with it," shrugged Remus.

"I am quite serious," said Narcissa. "Orion has to have the best, and I believe his original parents would have chosen those to help care for him whom they considered the best in their own fields. And I also want to learn from Andromeda how to be a muggle, and plan to send the boys to the village muggle school."

"That will help," said Remus. "I've been living as a muggle because it's easier; and I've been learning about computers, which are now becoming available for ordinary muggles. They are massively powerful calculating machines, and I believe that they are potentially something which might hold a key to defeating Voldemort; it is quick and easy to cross-correlate facts on them."

"Good; you can teach the boys about them too," said Narcissa.

The old gatehouse was set up as Remus' own home, being far enough from powerful magic to permit the use of electricity. Narcissa gave Remus a draught on her personal wealth to set up a computer suite there with the most up to date Commodore Pet machines for the boys, and much shopping was done in London. Remus outfitted the boys as muggle children as well as purchasing muggle and wizarding garb for himself, suitable for a personal assistant to a powerful boss. Narcissa had been administering finance for Lucius long enough that stripping assets from him was simple enough. And she also pocketed the muggle share portfolios he kept in his account. One never knew when such things might be useful.

And then she went to the ministry to demand to see the head of the auror's office.

"My husband's grip on reality has slipped enough to release me from the Imperius Curse," she told Amelia Bones. "I want to testify against a number of Death Eaters and those who are being paid off by my husband."

Amelia Bones thought Christmas for the next twenty years had all come at once.

Two solemn little boys held hands watching the aurors hustle Lucius Malfoy away. The big black man looked at them kindly, and smiled.

"Is Daddy coming back?" asked the child with sleek hair.

"I … I am afraid not," said Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was uncomfortable, but did .not hold with lying to children.

"Good," said Draco. "Before he started dancing with the fairies he was nasty. But he beat Orion more than me, 'cos he looks like the Blacks not the Malfoys."

"Is that so? I am sorry to hear it," said Kingsley. That went a long way to explain why Narcissa Malfoy had broken ranks with the old purebloods to turn her husband in. You did not push Blacks about. Doubtless that was what releasing Sirius was all about as well; a male Black protector.

"He goes purple and throws you against the wall," volunteered Orion, who had muddled the sobbing stories of Draco about his father with his own memories of Vernon Dursley.

"Well, you don't ever have to worry about him again," said Kingsley, ruffling the pale flaxen locks of each.

Lucius Malfoy was having trouble walking.

His feet were on backwards again.

And when it transpired that Orion was short sighted, Remus suggested that as medical transfiguratioon was too imprecise to correct that, which was why so many wizards wore glasses, there might be a muggle solution. If Orion was not in need of the glasses that would make him look even more like James, it would be another disguise.

Narcissa listened a little dubiously, read the articles Remus provided, and took Orion to Ipswich hospital for the ground-breaking laser treatment. It was still only available as private medicine except when considered necessary, but Narcissa was wealthy.

And Orion Malfoy would never need glasses.


	7. Chapter 7

_**thanks for the reviews yesterday Mizzrazz and Dianaanne, Magitech, Gardengirl, Child of Music and Dreams, Queen of the Jungle and anyone else who reviews subsequently and isn't answered. I got an annoying message telling me I couldn't reply to this message as it was invalid. This has happened to me before and I apologise for not giving individual answers. I think FF occasionally suffers from chizpurfles. It did it to me for 2 weeks once. They don't appear on my reviews page either. Meh. Technology eh?I've sent them an email  
**_

 **Chapter 7**

"Remus," said Severus, "How would you like me to experiment on you?"

"Depends whether it's to improve on Wolfsbane or to make me sing like Celestina Warbeck," quipped Remus. Three years into the association of the two Marauders with Severus and Narcissa, things were much more relaxed between them.

"Second one is easy, kick him in the … shutting up," said Sirius as Remus twitched his wand out.

"Are you mutts interested or shall I just get the leads to take you walkies?" asked Severus.

"We're interested," said Remus. "The pups will be home from school soon, so shut up, Padfoot so Sev can tell us all about it."

Severus shrugged.

"I'm not sure there's a lot to tell, but while on the subject of cursed wounds, I came upon a reference to 'such as those caused by a werewolf's bite' and I wondered whether the ritual we are pursuing might actually be able to cure you, on our way to adding a parseltongue component."

"It's worth a try," said Remus. "Even if you can get it to the point of those scratched by a werewolf who need raw meat and get a little moody once a month."

"That's just women in general," quipped Sirius.

Narcissa regarded him over the top of the book she was reading.

"I learned a lot of new curses in this one," she said, mildly.

There was a commotion from the garden.

"Oh dear, the pups are back and oh-oh," said Sirius, looking out of the window in the airy room they had chosen as their study. The door was under fidelius charm to prevent overly clever seven year olds from finding their way in and reading books that were not suitable for innocent eyes.

"Oh-oh? That sounds ominous," said Narcissa.

"When I said the pups are back, I spoke truer than I thought," said Sirius. "One golden Afghan hound puppy and one golden labrador puppy to be precise."

"I'll go and see to the mass confundments," sighed Severus. "Let the Ministry know, Narcissa?"

"After I've collected my puppies," said Narcissa in resignation. "Drat Dora Tonks!"

"Not blaming me?" Sirius was surprised.

"No, it was Dora who first enthused them," sighed Narcissa. She ran downstairs. "Now you two! Back into human forms right now, and tell me what that was about!"

Two puppies wriggled a lot, and then Orion squirmed somehow out of the labrador.

"You can do it, Draco!" he encouraged.

Draco wriggled a few more times before he emerged.

"And how many times do you have to be told not to do magic in front of muggles, not to mention how dangerous human transfiguration is?" demanded Narcissa.

"It was an accident, Mummy!" said Draco.

Orion nodded.

"It was for Draco, honestly, Mummy, there were big boys who go to the school in town, I don't know why they were there, but they said we were posh brats who ought to be rolled for being too precious, and one of them grabbed Draco, and while I was kicking and biting him, Draco changed into a dog, and ran off, and I thought I'd be better to stay with him, so I changed too."

Narcissa sighed.

"Severus, you heard?"

"On my way to confund and to put the fear of me into the miscreants," he said.

"I'm glad Hogwarts breaks later for Yule and goes back later," said Narcissa. "Moony isn't very forceful and Padfoot is a bit too …"

"Enthusiastic?" said Sirius, coming in. "You pups will have to learn how to do it properly now. It shouldn't be possible." He looked questioningly at Narcissa who sighed.

"Run along boys," she said. "I accept an accident. Try not to let it happen again." She sat down on the settle in the big vestibule.

"I wanted to tie them together for heritance spells and rituals," she said. "I … when I first brought Orion back I numbed their hands and made them blood brothers by slitting their palms so Orion would show as having Malfoy blood."

"Have you any idea how risky that is?" demanded Sirius.

"Not as risky as having the Ministry take Orion away," said Narcissa.

Sirius frowned.

"No, probably not," he said abruptly. "I wonder if that's why Draco learned parseltongue quicker than any of us, and why he's more able with spells than any of us at that age?"

Narcissa shrugged.

"If it's had the side effect of giving him a better chance to protect himself, then I welcome it. They've had more intensive training than most children their age."

"Which has helped them control their supposed accidental magic. It's controlled better than some thirteen year olds by now."

"Good. I don't plan to have a helpless sacrifice to draw Riddle out if he manages to find a way to return," said Narcissa. "Should I pay Severus to give up teaching? Dumbledore only ever wanted him there to protect his asset."

"And he'll be there to protect the boys," said Sirius. "I never thought I'd say this, but he's not really a Snivellus at all, but rather a good sort."

"So kind of you," said Severus sarcastically, returning. "Not a difficult job, Narcissa; they hadn't much in the way of minds to confund. They think the groundsman came to collect the boys and set his dog on them. A big black mutt," he grinned mirthlessly at Sirius. "And the reason I'm at school is to keep an eye on Dumbledore; we all agreed that. And I'm not an enemy to him, so he can legilimens me til he's black in the face. I agree with his aims. I just dislike his methods and I've made that clear. He knows I think him culpable for losing sight of Lily's son, and for placing him somewhere dangerous in the first place. And I want to be around while Dumbledore tracks down more horcruces than the diary Kingsley found in Lucius' hidden dark items room that claimed to be the diary of Tom Riddle."

"Well, there's the one poor Kreacher almost died for, and Regulus gave his life over," said Sirius. He had taken Narcissa's suggestion to summon Kreacher and find out what Regulus had believed in at the end, and the sorry story of the horcrux locket had come out, and they had chanted over it in parseltongue to destroy it. Kreacher had become a new elf and almost frolicked now. He was still cranky with creative ideas over obedience, but at least not as creepy.

"Well, if he had more than two, it explains why he was crazier than doxy dung," said Narcissa. "Can he really have had more?"

"Dumbledore thinks so, and actually I don't dispute him on that one," said Severus. "And he has come up with a new theory."

"Serious?" asked Narcissa.

"Yes?" said Sirius. She swiped him across the back of the head.

"It might be," said Severus, ignoring the byplay. "Where's Remus?"

"Reading that book you found hints in," said Sirius. "I'll tell him later."

"I'm here," said Remus. "What am I missing?"

"Dumbledore's latest theory, which I've been chickening out of propounding all holiday," said Severus. "His theory is that Voldemort made an accidental horcrux when he killed Lily, and Orion's scar is it."

Narcissa gasped.

"Quite," said Severus, catching her round the waist as she swayed, lowering her with one arm and taking her hand in his other hand. "Cissy, I'm sorry. But at least his follow-on from that idea isn't true."

"What's that?" whispered Narcissa.

"That Harry Potter disappeared leaving competently obliviated muggles because the spirit of the dark lord found one of his horcruces conveniently inhabiting a body, and took possession of the infant mind, and is waiting for the body to grow up enough to return to Hogwarts and cause mayhem," said Severus.

"It has a certain Slytherin logic," said Narcissa, back under tight control. She had not let go of Severus' hand.

"It has perfect Slytherin logic," said Severus.

"Dumbledore pays me a compliment on my obliviation skills; I believe he thought highly of Riddle's abilities," said Narcissa. "I would have thought that he would have possessed the baby as soon as he was knocked from his body, or as soon after that as he could, if he realised he had made a horcrux."

"If he realised," said Severus. "Which I think he doesn't. He … I think Orion would have proved to be a little monster if he was possessed, or at best difficult, and with bad dreams."

"He had some at first, but they were about that cupboard," said Narcissa. "No, we can safely say Orion is not any more possessed than any normal seven year old boy. Well, it keeps Dumbledore on his toes. I wager he's busy looking for muggle born children the right age to see if a small child managed to confund a family to take him in."

"Yes, and I have been given the task of interviewing the muggle born over the next year or so," said Severus. "And if there are any who are suitable friends for the twins, I thought we might have them to stay in the holidays, with their parents, as well as those the right age from the wizarding community. Orion has a knack of making friends and making people like him. The more of those he has as schoolfellows, the better armour he will have."

Narcissa nodded.

"I agree," she said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Please, Mistress Narcissa, Dobby has an idea, but he might be a bad elf to have it," Dobby twisted his long fingers together.

"What is your idea, Dobby?" asked Narcissa crisply. She preferred those elves who acted with initiative; the Black family generally expected it of their elves, which was why Kreacher had more initiative, however cranky that initiative might be. Narcissa was aware that respect and servility were not the same, and she hated the cringing of the cowed Malfoy elves. Dobby was a breath of fresh air, which was why she used his services so often. In theory she could only order the elves on the sufferance of the heir, her son, since her husband was in a secure ward in St Mungo's and lucky, in the opinion of the aurors, to be a broken wreck deprived of his potions, not in Azkaban.

"Dobby has a nephew, the same age as Masters Draco and Orion," said Dobby. "And … and he is able to put an elf trace on Master Orion as well," he added greatly daring.

"Can't all the elves?" Narcissa asked, sharply.

"Lala can. She is my sister," said Dobby. "We is cleverer than most of them. But we has ordered the other elves to punish themselves if they forget that Master Orion is Master Draco's twin. And we is founding a trace on Master Orion for them, which is old elf magics. We is descended from Kreacher," he added.

"That explains a lot. You think your nephew should be Orion's personal elf?"

"Yes, Mistress, but … but Lutie is a clever boy. And he would not think you was mad with him if he had school uniform when he is old enough, to be with he who lived all the time at school as well as to make sure Master Draco isn't hurted by anyone."

Narcissa was stopped in her tracks.

"Who knows that Orion used to be … that boy?" she asked sharply.

"Only Lala and me, Mistress. Lutie knows he is special. We thinks he needs all the help he can get against the dark one. And Dobby need not punish himself for hating the dark one!" he held his head as he plainly wanted to bang it on the floor.

"I order Dobby not to punish himself," said Narcissa. "And Lutie too. I … a house elf in school uniform? It … I don't know if it would be allowed. More suitable than some of the moronic houses that go to school though," she added. "The Goyles are more subhuman than some muggles. I … it would be better if he can be disguised as a human. I will think about it," she frowned. "Though Professor Flitwick is far from being fully human. Hmm. A few gaze-repelling charms set into simple jewellery should work. And will make sure the elves at Hogwarts do not take against him as well. Dobby, what does freeing an elf do?"

"Most elveses is so shamed and upset they wants to die," said Dobby. "And the magics goes away if not bound to a family. Dobby thinks that if an elf loves a family enough he can still be bound to it, and free for choice, not for disgrace."

Narcissa tapped her lip with a thoughtful finger.

"If you are wrong, Dobby, Lutie might diminish before he is even adult," she said.

"Yes, mistress, but if Dobby is right he will be a powerful ally for the little masters."

"I don't want to experiment on giving clothes to a juvenile without knowing that a strong will and … and the old magic of love …. can bind his powers in. I'd want an adult elf to try first."

"Dobby will try. Dobby has lots of ideas and Dobby knows all the old family magics too because Master Lucius did a lot of talking out loud."

"I told the idiot that would be his downfall, Dobby do NOT do that."

Dobby stopped banging his head with difficulty.

"Sorry Mistress."

"If you are really ready, Dobby, I will give you my glove now, and then bind you to my blood, Family Black, which has connections to both the boys, by vows of adoption and honour. This is what is offered to retainers and those who work closely with an old family."

"Yes, Mistress," said Dobby. He took the proffered glove, and then knelt as Narcissa spoke the sonorous spell of familial adoption as she had done for Orion when she had also blood-joined him to Draco. Dancing lines of magic enveloped Dobby, and then extended to encompass Narcissa.

Narcissa brought the spell to an end, and smiled in satisfaction.

"Can you feel me still?"

"Oh Mistress Narcissa! Dobby can feel you clearer than ever. Dobby thinks his magic is greater for being adopted not bonded!"

"Well, if it continues like that, it will be an advantage for Lutie. He may attend the lessons the boys do. And you must go to Diagon Alley and have Twilfitt and Tatting make you the robes of a butler for goodness sake."

"Yes Mistress!" said Dobby happily.

"The only muggle born student who is using accidental magic already is one Hermione Jane Granger," Severus reported, one weekend. "I have her address here for you, Narcissa. There are plenty of youngsters from the wizarding world whom the boys will meet, but I have to say, I am not sure whether it is best for the boys to exert mastery over their likely Slytherin colleagues or whether that might be bringing them too closely into the camps of Death Eaters."

"Having their fathers arrested might help," said Narcissa. "And we can perhaps lead them away from parental ideals. I should have thought about turning in Lucius and the others earlier, there's that muggle priest who said 'give me the boy until he is five years old and I will give you the man.'"

"You took the important one before Dursley had had him for five years," said Severus, softly.

"Oh Severus! What a disaster it would be if I had not! The fates surely guided me that day."

"It's a pity that Lucius was incompetent to plead. Unless there's a legal way for your head of family to declare an arranged marriage dissolved?"

"It's certainly legal to have it annulled, but then Draco and Orion have no call on the Malfoy estate and its elves," said Narcissa.

"Freeing and binding Lala and her son to you might help," said Severus. "But it is a beautiful place to grow up, and unsettling to have to move. Sirius hasn't done much to keep his own estates up I don't think, anyway."

"I'll ask Sirius. I take it that was a proposal?"

Severus blushed, and Narcissa kissed him. He was taking care of himself properly these days, confident that he was able to assuage his guilt over Lily's and James' death in helping with little Orion.

After a long time, Severus cleared his throat.

"So, Slytherin children to meet our two; and what about the Weasleys?"

"I don't think Molly Weasley likes me a lot more than I like her," said Narcissa. "I suppose I could pull the Black family card through Arthur's mother."

"It can't hurt," said Severus. "I hate to say this, but I wonder if they'll sort elsewhere than Slytherin."

"Blacks and Malfoys have always been Slytherin; and now you are head of house, you could more readily look out for them."

"Now that sounded more like Molly Weasley than a good Slytherin girl," said Severus. "I don't know that it's entirely healthy for them to be too protected. And if Orion has to kill the dark lord, he might need the protection of some good Gryffindork wand-fodder."

Narcissa sighed.

"Sirius was Gryffindor, and Dora is a Hufflepuff. I thought she would be Ravenclaw, but there you are."

"She is loyal, which is what counts for the badgers," said Severus. "Sometimes I wished I'd gone against my mother's house and had the protection of being a Hufflepuff. They produce a surprising number of able potioneers. The boys are learning enough to be Ravenclaws, but that's a dangerous course, all academe and little practicality in too many of them. Slytherin … it would be harder to keep Orion's secret until he is old enough. Slytherin find things out. I do think they might be encouraged to go for a house that emphasises honour."

Narcissa nodded.

"That might work. And they can hone their skills in harmless mischief which the Gryffindors seem to tolerate – as well as the more beefwitted bullying you had to endure."

He shrugged.

"It's all forgiven," he said. "Love of Orion and Draco unite us more than old grudges separate us."

"And we still need to see if we can't deal with the scar before they start school. Severus?"

He stiffened suddenly.

"We destroyed the locket horcrux by chanting in parseltongue. Do you suppose we could destroy the scar if it is a horcrux in the same way?"

Narcissa stared.

"The locket fought back. If the scar should attack Orion …"

"If he were under a dreamless sleep potion, or the draught of living death … the Wigenweld potion is expensive to negate that, but …"

"Expense is no bar. But I'd want you to be under legilimensy with him at all times to tell us to stop if it was harming him."

Severus nodded.

"I am our best chanter, but Remus is not bad," he said. "And I could hold the chant with part of my thoughts and watch what it does inside his head."

"When?"

"No time this weekend, and besides, I need to brew a draught of Wigenweld potion," said Severus. "Next weekend. And I'll set the little morons at school a multiple choice quiz which is easier to grade than essays."


	9. Chapter 9

_sorry about missing a day, I had a migraine, so here's an extra one. And this one is replaced as Magitech pointed out to me that I'd forgotten that FF eats extra lines as time spaces.  
_

 **Chapter 9**

"Will it hurt, Uncle Severus?" asked Orion.

"I hope not, Orion," said Severus. "But I'm going to be inside your thoughts while we do it, while you sleep, so I can check nothing bad is happening."

"Oh, all right," said Orion.

"I want to be looking at my brother's thoughts too," said Draco.

"I'll teach you both how to do it when you are old enough," said Severus. "But why don't you help me, Draco? I will hold Orion on my lap, and you put your arms round him from behind, and we can hold him up between us. It's a very important bit of help that I need, and I'd rather have you help me than an elf, even your friend Lutie. He's not big and strong enough."

"All right," said Draco. "I can. Orion's bigger and stronger than me but I'm strong enough."

Orion swallowed his potion, and Severus gently held up his eyelids with a spell as the potion took effect, to be able to look into his eyes, the window of the soul. The lights were dimmed so his eyes would not be damaged. And then he plunged into the sleeping mind of the child, seeking out the area where the damage lay.

With the conscious mind of Orion laid into the stasis of the draught of living death, it was easier to see the intrusion. And Dumbledore was right; it was a horcrux, and there was a semi-conscious awareness in it. As the chanting started, the thing wriggled, and tried to make an assault on Orion's sleeping mind, but Severus was ready for it, thrusting back at it with legilimensy that was by way of being an attack. His arm burned in screaming agony, but Severus ignored it, punching through to the core of the horcrux and … and beyond.

Punching into the startled thoughts of Voldemort, occupying the body of a snake, demanding information about his horcruces, discovering that he had deliberately made six, and that this was one he did not know. Severus was busy casting obliviation spells, and confundments, until he had to hasten back through the ever-closing crack in Orion's mind or be trapped forever out of his body. And he fell back in the big winged chair in which he was sitting, his eyes jerking open, startled.

And the scar on Orion's head was turning pink, stretching, diminishing and vanishing.

Severus pushed up his left sleeve.

His arm was smooth and unblemished.

He let out the sort of whoop of satisfaction normally only associated with the louder sorts of Gryffindors.

"Reckon it's sorted you out, Sev mate; what about Orion?"

"Gone," said Severus. "Inside and out. And it was a horcrux. I … I found Voldemort's mind on the other side of it."

Sirius bit off a choice curse since there were children present.

"So now he knows?"

Severus permitted himself a thin, austere smile.

"He will, when he throws off my obliviation and confundment. Right now there's one very confused snake somewhere in Mittel Europe," he said.

"Can he throw it off, Severus? You are very competent," said Narcissa.

"I was in a hurry; I didn't want to be trapped in the smutty little mind of Tom Riddle," said Severus. "I may be a better occlumens than he is a legilimens but nevertheless, I fancy he might have found out enough if he had me there trapped. As it is he is going to spend several years being a perfectly normal, if rather psychotic, snake. And he cannot sneak into Orion's mind to find anything out or hurt him. I wouldn't have been able to touch him had he not been stuck inside an animal, and not expecting such an attack. Anyway, we now need to destroy his horcruces. With the diary and the locket we have two; there are four more."

"FOUR?" Remus paled. "He split his soul six ways?"

"Seven if you count Orion," said Severus, smugly. "Eight pieces of soul, including his own, the most unlucky number in the world if you aren't Chinese. Of course when he untangles himself from the snake, he'll realise I asked questions and will be left with the choice of being very careful not to get killed, or of splitting his soul further."

"He'll make more," said Narcissa. "He's gone so far and is so insane he could scarcely do anything else."

"What is the bad man going to do?" asked Draco.

Narcissa picked him up and hugged him, and kissed him, big boy of seven though he was.

"He's going to make himself weaker, pumpkin," she said. "Shall we wake up Orion and have some milk and cakes?"

"I think that's a good idea, Mummy," said Draco.

"And without that thing on your arm, I will have no hesitation in presenting my case for a termination of Narcissa's marriage so you can wed her, Severus," said Sirius. "It's a familial matter, and not under the Wizgamot, but under the auspices of the top two dozen. One of whom, technically, is Draco, or Narcissa as his proxy. I'm not sure if you're allowed to vote, Cissy."

"I doubt any will go against the motion," said Narcissa. "Especially as I'm reaching out to many of them with invitations for their children to know mine. Which can now happen; we shan't have anyone asking questions about Orion's scar. Much better than disguising it in another wound."

"Absolutely," agreed Sirius.

o-o-o-o-

"Four more? Are you certain, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus nodded. He decided to use casuistry to get round not actually lying.

"He was inclined to gloat, and Narcissa is kind enough to let me view her memories. I was able to put together quite a lot. One is in a ring, which is heavily cursed and booby-trapped; another is in the cup of Hufflepuff, another is his familiar, a snake, and the fourth is the diadem of Ravenclaw, hidden here in Hogwarts. Of the rest, one was in a locket, which Sirius was in possession of, because his brother turned at the last minute and tried to destroy it, but failed, you destroyed the diary, though I'm not sure how you managed that."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled impishly; knowing what and how many horcruces he had to find was a relief.

Severus sighed.

"I've been painstakingly learning parseltongue and…"

"I beg your pardon? You've learned it?"

"Yes, what is the problem?"

 _Sssssss you managed to learn?sssssssss_

 _Sssssss yesssss ssssssss_

"Very well done, Severus. I am impressed."

Severus shrugged.

"I thought it might come in useful. And the big mutt and his tame wolf learned it too; something about the animal in them finding it easier, I think. And we chanted over the locket. Sirius wouldn't let it out of his sight. I can't say I blame him for that."

"Then that is a method that can be used for the others, which is something I had despaired of. The diary was simple enough to destroy, I made a version of a blood quill that pierced into the hidden soul fragment, and filled every page with the word 'love' in every runic alphabet I could think of and all its synonyms. It bled out on about page four."

"You are imaginative, Albus, I give you that," said Severus.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore. "I do still believe that love is the greatest power of all."

"It certainly seems to be," said Severus. "By the way, I'm getting married, speaking of love. I will never forget Lily, but I have learned to love again."

"Narcissa?"

"Yes. Was it obvious?"

"Well, you have been spending a lot of time at Malfoy Manor since Narcissa managed to rid herself of Lucius. I assume that if you are close to her, her turn to the light is quite genuine?"

"Absolutely," said Severus. "She has had her sons learning about muggles as well as traditional magical lessons for pre-school children. I've been helping her with some of their lessons, when I'm on holiday. They will have no trouble with any defensive spells, or how to use runic magic to set up wards minor on their belongings when they come to school. Narcissa knows most of the old spells by heart but I want to show them how to dissect them to their arithmantic bases and how the enchantments were made in the first place."

Dumbledore laughed.

"The understanding of such things do not normally get taught until after NEWTs if at all," he said.

Severus shrugged. He thought it important for the children to understand the things he had needed to research when Narcissa started explaining old familial magic to him. To drop a blood-curse on someone to make them an object of hatred to anyone who shared the curser's heritance was a little drastic, but with the use of the Elf tags to give him the idea, he had developed a blood-mark to leave a single descriptive word on someone's forehead, invisible to anyone but a relative, or someone bonded, as Remus was now bonded, to the Black family. And the word might be something like 'trustworthy' as much as it might be 'thief', say.

And now that Remus was bonded, it should be easier to use bond-faith magic to rid him of the curse of being a werewolf, using a similar ritual to the one they had used on Orion, but crafting it without parseltongue.

The next weekend, which was the dark of the moon, and so ritually significant, Sirius decreed that he would do his best to add a chanted component in wolf-tongue in his dog form to help, and the boys promptly turned into pale blonde wolves.

Sirius gaped, but shrugged.

"Now I do not believe you two managed to be metamorphages like Cousin Dora without help," said Severus.

Two wolf cubs yipped innocently and thumped plumy tails on the ground.

"Human form NOW and answer Uncle Severus," said Narcissa. "He's going to be your daddy soon, so he has every right to ask."

Two little boys sat on the floor, solemnly regarding Severus.

"You won't want to beat us when you become a daddy, will you?" asked Draco.

"I won't let you beat Draco," said Orion.

Severus squatted down.

"Real men don't hit children," he said. "You've not had much of a good experience of fathers, but trust me, real daddies might spank sometimes, but if they do, they feel that they have failed their children because nobody ever ought to have to hit anyone in any fashion, if only everyone had respect for everyone else. I won't beat either of you."

"Oh, that's all right then," said Draco. "We found a book."

"It told us how the insides of animals work and how to tie all our innards to numbers," said Orion. "It's just a series of simultaneous equations that make you one thing or another, and wolves are really really like dogs, so that was dead simple."

"So that's why you wanted to learn simultaneous equations!" cried Remus. "You little scamps!"

They giggled, and turned back into wolf cubs and yipped at him.

Severus shrugged.

"If it is that simple … I think I might have to censor your library, Cissy, and hide some of the more useful books."

"Yes, I think perhaps you had better do so," said Narcissa in horror. It had never occurred to her to ban the boys from the library.

The ritual went ahead after that short delay.

"Well we won't know whether it worked until the full moon, I suppose," said Remus.

"Call yourself a wizard? _Specialis Revelio!_ " said Sirius, casting Scarpin's Revellaspell on his friend. "This is a pure blood wizard with no curse or taint to him; he is not a werewolf."

Remus fell on his friend's neck, sobbing, and insisted on hugging Severus as well. Severus endured it. The twins hugged their Uncle Remus hard as well. Narcissa had explained to them about Uncle Remus' furry little problem, since even with the wolfbane potion he was safer confined, and the curiosity of little boys was better satisfied than left to run its course.

Severus kissed Narcissa gently.

"And now back to school, for a relatively peaceful time," he said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Narcissa and Severus married quietly at the beginning of the summer holidays, after the upper two dozen had agreed to the unilateral divorce. Part of the wedding ceremony was of course a bloodbonding of Severus to the family Black, a more complex ritual than the adoption of Dobby or Remus, and requiring Severus to sign the marriage bond in his own blood for the magical artefacts of House Black to recognise him.

And then there were to be several children's parties as the twins met the children of their own age, and in the case of the Weasley children, those a little older, in the persons of the Weasley twins. Percy was due to start Hogwarts in September and declined to have anything to do with 'the babies'.

Many of those invited had had it impressed on them that being invited to Malfoy Manor was an honour and that they were to be on their best behaviour. Children like Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were rather frightened of Narcissa Malfoy, who had been brave enough to denounce their thuggish and brutal fathers as Death Eaters, and were overcome when she smiled at them and gave them a hug. Neither of them missed being a punching bag for their father, and were glad to be able to relax. Theodore Nott was a quieter boy with a shrewd face who politely thanked Narcissa for both the invitation and for making life safer for people. Presumably he meant himself and his mother, though Narcissa did wonder how much of a sympathiser his mother had been. Pansy Parkinson was also missing a father, but did not seem to care; Daphne Greengrasse came from a family which held aloof from Death Eaters as did Blaise Zabini, but Narcissa was far more willing to embrace a friendship with the Greengrasses, who were pure blood and of the upper two dozen, than with Madam Zabini, who, as she said to Severus, went through husbands like most women went through shoes. Blaise was rather self-possessed and sneering.

"And it may be armour, you know," said Severus.

"You will have time to find out, if not now, when he's likely in your house at school," said Narcissa. "I didn't like Jocasta Zabini at school, and I rather think it shows how permanent she considers marriage that her son bears her maiden name. She's on the seventh at the moment."

"Poor boy," said Severus.

"Possibly," said Narcissa. "Well, sort him out then, if you must."

"Thank you, my dear," said Severus with heavy irony.

Unlike the largely subdued or quiet children of traditionally Slytherin families, the Weasley contingent were loud and rather hearty. Ron was the same age as the Malfoy twins but was rather relegated into the background when his older brothers shouted,

"Hey, Gred! We've got another set here!"

"They ain't identical, Forge," said the other.

"Are those really your names?"asked Orion.

"Nah, we're Fred and George, but nobody can tell us apart, so it don't matter," said the first.

"Which is which?" asked Draco.

"I'm Fred," said Fred.

"And he's Fred," said George.

The Malfoy twins exchanged a quick look, and nodded identical little nods.

"We shall know now," said Orion.

"Bet you won't," said Fred.

Orion and Draco smiled.

"We shall," said Draco.

They had taken the opportunity to use Uncle Severus's tagging spell to place the name of each twin on his forehead for people of only Malfoy blood to use. After all, there was no point giving an advantage to all the Black family; and even if the elves got confused because of not having been obliviated, Orion was Draco's brother under Narcissa's blood bonding and spells to make him so. Had he not been, his hair would not have remained blond.

And they were the last Malfoys.

There were another pair of twins, the Patil twins, who were not pure bloods, and the solitary muggleborn child whom Severus had thought worth contacting, Hermione Granger.

The Grangers were dentists, and had been a trifle put out at the idea of magic, until Narcissa had said scornfully that one talent was like another, and the idea of a child being able to pick up a French Horn and play from music a Horn Concerto was as laughable as expecting a child with magic to manage reproducible results. Hermione's efforts in blacking out the street lights when she was frightened by a man dressed as a clown was, said Narcissa, the same thing as the sounds like sheep being strangled that a novice got out of a horn.

Hermione was delighted that magic could be reproducible and that the casting of spells and the brewing of potions would proceed according to what might be described as scientific method. Her curiousity had only been stilled by an impromptu trip to Diagon Alley under the aegis of Narcissa to buy children's books about the wizarding world. She had been horrified when Narcissa had told her not to believe everything she read in books, wizarding or muggle, and had gasped when Narcissa pointed out that all history books were written by the winner, and all historical facts skewed to the viewpoint of the writer.

"Moreover," said Narcissa, "My sister, who is married to a muggle, told me that she read a quote by a writer that if an elderly scientist says that something is impossible, he is almost certainly wrong; and if a young scientist says that something is possible, he is quite often right. It applies to wizards as well."

"Arthur C. Clarke," said Mr. Granger. "He also said that technology so far advanced of any observer will appear as magic."

"Frankly, some of your technology appears to be moderately magical to me," said Narcissa. "My sons are learning computer sciences and what they can do with it is quite unnerving."

"It surely has come a long way from playing Pong on the University machine," said Mr. Granger.

Hence Hermione was also there and was asking the twins if she would be able to keep up her computer studies with them.

"If you would like," said Draco. He received a shy smile.

"What's this computer studies?" demanded Ron Weasley, feeling left out.

"Computers are very advanced adding machines," said Orion. "And because you can use adding to multiply using logarithms, they can do anything with numbers. You can use them to find prime numbers for arithmancy, and factorials."

"Well what's the use in that?" demanded Ron.

"Because arithmancy is important in understanding some spells, and in deciding how many stirs you have in a potion, and in ritual," said Draco, rolling his eyes.

"What do I need that for? The spells and potions we use are in the text books. I've seen them in my brothers' books," said Ron.

"Well what if you want to invent a new potion or reverse engineer a new spell or stuff?" said Orion.

"Why would I want to do that? It's a waste of time and a headache for nothing," said Ron.

Both the Malfoys and Hermione Granger rolled their eyes at that, and Fred and George exchanged looks.

"Talk to us about arithmancy, fellow twins…."

"… and about computers," they said.

Ron, bored, wandered off.

On the whole, the twins enjoyed meeting people, but the ones they hit it off with most were the Weasley twins and Hermione. They understood that it was their duty to be kind to Vince and Greg, whose fathers had been arrested, and who had worked for the twins' own father. They had noblesse oblige towards them. And none of the little guests turned a hair at Lutie, now free, as Dobby's powers had not diminished, and taught firmly by the twins to use simultaneous equations to look perfectly human. Even as animagi did not lose their understanding, so Lutie had not lost his ability to do Elf magic in a human shape.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The twins chose who they wanted for extra tuition before they started school, other than Lutie, and they chose the Weasley twins, but not Ron, which might have been a problem, had not Ron vociferously declared that he did not want to do extra lessons. Hermione Granger was another, and Blaise Zabini, who admitted to being beaten on, under the frank comments of the twins that Lucius Malfoy had been abusive. There was a horrid suspicion in the mind of both Severus and Narcissa that his mother was grooming him to take the place of any husband as soon as he was old enough, and Narcissa applied to have the boy placed somewhere else for his own safety. The wizarding world did not have the safeguards that the muggle world had, since it was assumed that family heads would regulate the behaviour of their families, which was not, as Narcissa pointed out as Draco's proxy for the upper two dozen, much help if it was the head of the family doing the abusing. Since the Zabinis had no clear familial connections, Sirius and Narcissa pushed through a new rule, virtually unheard of in the family court, that those families not of the upper two dozen should be assigned an upper family to support, nurture and guide them, with traditional alliances, if any, taken into account. The cousins swung it past the council that the new family of Granger should be under the aegis of House Black, so that the young genius, Hermione Granger, had powerful protection. Blaise Zabini was reassigned to the neutral house of Greengrasse, which was fortuitous as Daphne was also welcome in the tuition group. The boys did not like Theodore Nott, and declared that Pansy Parkinson was scary and looked like pitbull on alihotsy.

Susan Bones was the only other contemporary the twins took to, being as straight as a die, and sweet natured as well. Susan had been wary at first, since Lucius had probably been involved in the killing of a lot of her relatives, but she was won over, and became warily chummy with Hermione. Amelia Bones, her aunt, who was rearing the child, also wanted to join the computing classes, since cross-correlating would be of a great deal of help to the Auror's office.

The final two children were Greg and Vince, who were less likely to be accelerated, being of limited understanding, but at least might end up not so far behind with the help from their peer group and the adults. A little kindness did wonders for them, and Narcissa complained bitterly that the poor children, especially Greg, were likely brain damaged from being hit about the head. She arranged cottages for their mothers, so the boys might have more help by playing with her twins and Lutie when the others were not there.

Naturally most of the study was concentrated on magic, and the control of it; the children were learning to cast wandlessly so that when they got their wands at eleven, the spells they had been learning would be much easier. They were also learning basic potions, and how to prepare ingredients. Runic wards were also covered, and the theory of how blood could enhance them, as Egil Skallagrimson's tale showed. Narcissa thought it better to explain than to leave them reading tales and getting their own odd ideas about blood magic, which could be dark or light. Sirius put them through a course of muggle martial arts as well, and swordplay, as much to help their fitness and ability to dodge offensive spells as anything else. Greg and Vince were delighted to excel here, once they had learned not to rely on their body mass. They were also glad to do well on brooms as Sirius thought that they should start school able to fly well.

The tuition group settled down to a most enjoyable two days a week, passed off at the muggle village school as home tuition in music, art, Latin and Greek such as would be needed for the public school which the twins hoped to attend. And even a year's tuition gave the Weasley twins a distinct advantage when they went to school in 1989.

Meanwhile, Leo and Berenice had joined the nursery, eight and ten years younger than their adoring older brothers. They would bear the surname 'Snape'.

In Albania, a snake was having something of an epiphany. Voldemort shook his snaky head and if parseltongue had contained any swearwords, he would have shocked any snakes in the vicinity. His thoughts, however, were sulpherous, and Severus Snape went onto his mental death list right after Harry Potter and before Albus Dumbledore. Voldemort had no idea how Severus had reached him. There was some kind of connection, but the snake could not figure out what the connection was. Was it one of his horcruces? Well he would find out when he found a way to return, and Lucius would help him to torture it out of Severus what he had been up to. At least he had assets who had not been put into Azkaban though he would castigate them for failing to be loyal, of course. It would be fun to watch them squirming and trying to get themselves back into his good graces. But he needed some body that was a little more sophisticated than a snake.

Severus was often away at the weekend, which Narcissa might have resented had it not been that Dumbledore relied on Severus to help him seek for horcruces. Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle's history, and was busy collecting memories of anyone who might be of use.

"Don't you think it most likely that he hid some of them with his followers, like the diary was given to Lucius?" Severus said, sighing that the memories Dumbledore collected, whilst revealing of what an unpleasant person Riddle was, gave no more clue than to prove that Slytherin's locket had been sold by Riddle's mother, Merope.

"And how do you suggest I find out?" asked Dumbledore.

Severus refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Those closest to him were Lucius and Bellatrix Black Lestrange," he said. "I would suggest that the Lestrange property could be searched by Aurors, those in the Order of the Phoenix, and Bella Black's own account at Gringotts can be opened and examined by the head of the family, Sirius Black."

"Of course!" Dumbledore smote his head. Severus reflected that for a clever wizard, Dumbledore so often made things more difficult for himself by trying to do things in a convoluted way, instead of picking the most straightforward way.

Looking in Bella Black's vault had turned up the cup of Hufflepuff, and a selection of dark magic that was better for being destroyed.

And the pensieve memories were at least useful in finding the Peverell ring near Little Hangleton. It had only been by slapping Dumbledore across the hand that Severus prevented the older wizard from touching the ring; it seemed to have some strange fascination for him. Severus quickly started the chant to destroy that, and they came away, with Dumbledore still gazing mesmerised at the cracked stone. Severus regarded the derelict Riddle mansion, comparing it to the shack of the Gaunts. No wonder Merope Gaunt had wanted an escape to a better life.

"It's worth searching that place for a horcrux too," he said. "It has significance to him."

The search yielded nothing, but Severus shrugged when Dumbledore showed disappointment.

"No point leaving any stone unturned," he said. "I think you should arrange muggle documentation to acquire possession of the place and raze it to the ground, and sell it to developers to turn into flats. Then he can't use it again. And the same with the shack."

"Then he'll know we are on to him," said Dumbledore.

"Good; let him run scared. There's a ritual to use bone of the father to recreate a body, which I wager he'll be wanting to do, I found it in Lucius' black library. If permission can be obtained to concrete over the old cemetery, that would make it harder. If it was the parking lot for the flats there, for example. And actually it wouldn't surprise me if we got a load of muggle born around here, if the Gaunts were naughty boys. So build a primary school instead of flats and let childish glee get rid of the taint of the torture of the Riddle parents, too. Gives him less power."

"It's a good idea," said Dumbledore. "Very well, I'll do it."

Well, that was four down, or five if one counted Orion's scar, and two to go. It was something of a race against time, to destroy them all before Voldemort managed to find some way to acquire a body, and potentially make more, but that was a risk which had to be taken. Severus discussed it with Narcissa.

"One of them should be inactive because of being used to survive killing the Potters," he said. "They've all snarled and fought back so far though."

"Severus, could it be as simple as using the one he created by accident in Orion?" asked Narcissa. "Only being in a living being, it left the connection?"

Severus frowned.

"I … no, it was fighting on its own. It was a portion of Voldemort. A living part of his soul, and I dread to think what a monster he might have become if it had gained control of a boy resentful and hating through being raised by the Dursleys."

"It could have formed a ready made body for Tom Riddle to use to traduce another generation of school children," said Narcissa. "You think one of the two left is emptied then?"

"Yes, and I think it will be his snake," said Severus. "He never went anywhere without Nagini. She would be there for him to slip into the mind of, and possess, much more easily than into the mind of a baby whom Voldemort did not know was a horcrux. I got no sense of him being aware that the connection was a horcrux. And being unable to touch Orion's mind, he never will find out. So we have one left, which Dumbledore believes is hidden in Hogwarts, and he and I have both been prowling the corridors and searching everywhere we can think of. And I think when it is time for the boys to go to school, we should be totally honest to them, and explain about the horcruces, and tell them to look as well, and tell me if they think they've found one."

"Severus! Those innocent boys!"

"That sounded like Molly Weasley, Narcissa."

"There's no need to be insulting."

"There is, my love, if it makes you listen to reason. Innocent and ignorant are not the same things. If they are forewarned, they are forearmed, and when the dark lord comes for Orion they will be better prepared. And we should start to avoid saying his name as well, in case he finds a host that is able to use a wand. I suspect that he can use egophonic magic and the saying of his name opens enough of a link to him for him to hear something of the conversation around it. We shall call him Tom Riddle; I dislike the childish sound of You-Know-Who."

"I'm with you on that," agreed Narcissa. "Very well; you have made your point, and I will accept your suggestion. Do you know how to cast egophonic magic?"

"No, but I know a book that does," said Severus. "It was written by a Prince ancestor of mine, as it happens; and mentions something I think might be horcruces. You were thinking it might be wise to cast it, using the name Harry Potter?"

Narcissa looked startled.

"I … I hadn't thought of that," she said. "But yes, that might be wise. I was thinking of the boys using it to avoid any bullies plotting."

Severus nodded.

"I'll hold that in reserve, though," he said. "They might not have too much trouble, and to be honest, I'd think it would be hard to handle every mention of their name, which in a school, might be quite often."

Narcissa considered.

"Yes, and they don't want to know every stupid girl's love-wishes regarding them, either," she said. "I didn't think that one through."

"I know you want to protect them, my love, but they will do better if not smothered," said Severus. "They can, after all, always come to me."

"Of course," said Narcissa.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Narcissa believed in arriving at Diagon Alley early. She would have preferred to have shopped over the summer, but the required books were not always available until a few days before school. The boys had, of course, already been outfitted for school, so that was one less thing to buy; and they were not permitted to take their Nimbus 2000s to school anyway.

"Oh," said Narcissa, seeing someone else who was early. "Augusta Longbottom. I have to be civil. She wouldn't let Neville meet you boys early."

"Is she a Death Eater?" asked Draco.

Narcissa gave a thin smile.

"No, she thinks I am," she said. "Ah, Madam Longbottom. This will be Neville."

"Madam … Snape. So you married a member of the Order of the Phoenix; I'm not sure whether that proves your claim to have changed sides, or demonstrates that young Severus Snape is as black as some people have painted him."

"Don't talk about our stepdad like that!" cried Orion. "It's rude! And he found a ritual to remove the dark mark and to cure lycanthropy too, and that's not dark at all!"

"Well, speaking of rude, interrupting a conversation is hardly polite, young man," said Madam Longbottom.

"Insulting a child's parents is scarcely the way to get them to behave with decorum, is it?" said Narcissa. "I am sure that Neville would spring to your defence if I said anything I might think about you, Madam Longbottom, but I have more self control than to do so in front of children. Perhaps the children should go off to Ollivander's and look at wands while you and I exchange some frank points of view without little pitchers listening."

"Neville doesn't need to go to Ollivander's; he can use his father's wand. He's virtually a squib anyway," said Augusta Longbottom dismissively.

"Excuse me? All the more reason then for him to be chosen by a wand that will respond as well as possible to him," said Narcissa. "I had not heard that the Longbottom fortune had disappeared; boys, take Neville to Ollivander's, I won't stand by to see a lad of such brave parents with a secondhand wand, I'll buy him one."

"Impertinence!" gasped Augusta, as Orion, Draco, Lutie, Vince and Greg hustled Neville away.

"You are the one who is impertinent – to the memory of what his parents endured," said Narcissa, tightly. "Remember I know what the cruciatus is like; Riddle used it freely on his followers and those they dragged into his train. And it is tantamount to neglect not to make sure a young wizard, however much he may be magically challenged, has a proper wand. You won't turn him into Frank by making him use Frank's wand, in fact you are more likely to make him resent you for stunting his magic. Your brother already is guilty of child abuse – I heard about him throwing him out of the window to see if Neville's magic awoke. I don't want to have to make this a matter for the upper two dozen. I got rid of an abusive husband, and I really, really hate seeing children abused."

Augusta Longbottom's mouth fell open and for once in her life she was robbed of words.

"I say, your mum is kind! But what if Gran won't let me use a new wand?" Neville was anxious.

"Then you must report her to your house head," said Draco, seriously. "It's important to tell someone if someone is making you unhappy. And when it's that big, it's not sneaking."

"All right," said Neville. "Gran wants me to be a Gryffindor like my parents."

"What do you want?" Draco asked.

"I don't know. I am nearly a squib you know."

"It's a pity you didn't come to the extra classes," said Vince. "Greg and me, we aren't smart like Orion and Draco and Lutie, but we aren't doing too bad, with extra lessons."

"Gran said that Madam Malfoy was playing some game of her own," said Neville.

"Well your Gran was wrong," said Orion.

"Yeah," said Lutie. "Madam Malfoy is nice. I know; I'm the child of a servant, and she's paying for me." It took Lutie a lot of effort to speak in the first person, but he had been working hard on it.

"What house are you hoping to go into? Slytherin I suppose?" asked Neville.

"Not likely, our stepdad is head of Slytherin, and he's just going to know if we manage to get into trouble," said Draco. "And we were hoping to have some fun pranking people as well as learning, like the Weasley twins do."

Neville giggled.

"I suppose it can't matter if it doesn't hurt anyone."

"Yes, our Uncles Sirius and Remus said we must be careful," said Orion. "They were full of pranks at school, but they let it tip into bullying, so they told us how to avoid their awful example."

"That would be bad," agreed Neville.

"We thought it might be cool to be in their house, Gryffindor, but Gryffindors don't think before acting, always. We might like Ravenclaw, because we have enjoyed learning a lot, but on the whole, twin and I think we'd be better suited to Hufflepuff, because we have a duty to our family to … to do things," said Draco. It would not do to tell someone whose grandmother was not friendly to mummy all about having to defeat Tom Riddle. Mummy had been clear that it was a family secret, so that bad people did not find out, because even good people could be careless about what they said.

"I wouldn't mind being Hufflepuff," said Neville wistfully. "Do you think Gran would mind too much?"

"It's not up to her to mind," said Orion. "It's up to the sorting hat to decide if you are suited to it. If you aren't, it won't let you."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," said Neville, brightening.

Ollivander looked up as the gaggle of boys came in.

"We've all come for wands, on Madame Narcissa Snape's account, please," said Draco.

"Of course, of course. But … Mr. Harry Potter?" Ollivander stared at Orion.

"Who's that?" asked Orion, blankly. "Nobody by that name here."

Ollivander lifted a lock of untidy blond hair with a long finger, and stared. There was no scar.

"Well, I do beg your pardon, Mr. Malfoy," he said, confused. "I thought I felt … a wandmaker has to be sensitive to the customers so he knows the wands they need. And I am expecting … well, hoping … to see Mr. Potter. I … my mistake." He shook his head. "I must be getting old … I don't usually make a mistake like that, and you are undoubtedly a Malfoy."

"I expect your friend will come in at some point," said Draco, kindly. "If he's the same age as us. We can look out for him at school, if you like. He's blond like us, is he?"

"I … no, good gracious, no, he's dark… he has a scar on his forehead, a zigzag scar. Haven't you heard of him? He's the Boy-Who-Lived!"

The children all looked at each other, and shrugged, shaking their heads, though Draco and Orion exchanged a puzzled glance.

With the disappearance of Harry Potter from the house of his muggle relatives, the legend had been somewhat buried by Dumbledore's efforts, in the hopes that least said, soonest mended, and that the boy would turn up. And that if he was possessed by Tom Riddle, as Dumbledore now believed, that he would be easier to defeat if there was no adulation of him. It was not a view he had spread widely, so those who remembered the terrible events of the first war still looked for Harry Potter, but there had been no mention of him in the newspapers, as there might have been if his arrival had been anticipated.

However the mention of a scar was enough to disturb Orion and Draco, since Orion had had a scar that sounded the same.

 _Sssss we need to talk to Mummy ssssss_ said Draco.

 _Ssssss yessss ssssss_ agreed Orion.

 _Sssss the elveses say that Orion came to the house when he was three sssss_ said Lutie.

The other two looked startled.

 _Sssss do you suppose somebody confunded Mummy? Ssssss_ Orion was worried.

 _Sssss we must ask her ssss_ Draco agreed.

There was no time for any more discussion, as Ollivander was bringing forward wands for them to try.

Lutie was first to reach for one of the boxes.

"Birch, eight inches, with a unicorn hair core," said Ollivander. "Personal development, growth, liberation, renewal and protection."

Lutie smiled gently and trailed the wand through the air, producing a trail of seeringly white stars.

"I think it likes me," he said.

Draco was drawn to one.

"What's this one?" he said, producing a burst of multicoloured sparks.

"Willow, my dear boy, for imagination, intuition and vision, with flexibility; and a dragon's heartstring core."

"Wicked!" said Draco.

"There are many I could use," said Orion, frowning. "But … I think this one."

Mr. Ollivander looked worried.

"I'm not sure why I got that one down," he said. "I'm not even sure why I made it; I … it's made of elder, and they say elder wands are unlucky unless you are supposed to have them."

"Well if it's calling to me, I suppose I am supposed to have it," said Orion. "What is the core, please, and what does it mean?"

"The wood stands for transition, evolution and continuation," said Ollivander, reluctantly. "It has a dragon's heartstring core, in fact from the same dragon as the other Mr. Malfoy. You might say the wands are brothers."

"Very suitable," said Orion. He regarded the wand solemnly and waved it carefully. A host of several hundred butterflies burst out of it. "Yes, that will do," he added.

Neville went next, and tentatively touched one of the boxes.

"Ah, a herbologist or healer?" asked Ollivander.

"I am interested in herbology," said Neville.

"Ah, that explains it; it's rowan with one of the few vegetable cores, dittany," said Ollivander. Neville took it, and shook it without much expectation, and gasped to be producing rose petals.

"I didn't think … I thought rowan was a wood that blocked magic, and as I'm practically a squib …"

Ollivander shook his head forcefully.

"Oh no, no, no, my dear boy, a squib or near squib could never use a rowan wand, and you patently can. Wonderful scent too from those petals, quite healing! Only someone with an implacable will and strong magical core can use rowan. For those who can use it, it signifies protection and empathy. If you have not shown much magic yet, you are either a late developer or something has blocked your magic …." He tailed off. "Mr. Longbottom, isn't it? Why of course the block on your magic is due to what happened to your parents." He shook his head sadly. "Perhaps the headmaster or Professor Snape can help you unblock it; both are said to be legilimenses of some power…"

"There, our dad can do it," said Orion. "We'll go and see him the minute we get to school if your Gran won't let you visit."

"Thanks," said Neville, brightening.

Vince and Greg were next, and Vince chose an alder wand, signifying endurance, strength and passion, with a re'em's heartstring, emphasising the strength, and Greg chose oak, strength and stability and nobility, with a graphorn's beard hair, indicating stubbornness and perseverance. As Draco whispered to Orion, Greg wasn't smart but he had stickability.

And only Lutie, with his sharp, elven hearing, heard Ollivander mutter to himself as they left,

"Not even heard of Harry Potter, but I would have sworn … and he has chosen a hero's wand. Extraordinary!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The twins were more concerned with finding Madam Longbottom, and Draco said quickly,

"Mr. Ollivander said that Neville couldn't possibly be a squib or near squib with the wand that chose him. It's a healer's and herbologist's wand, and Mr. Ollivander said his magic has been blocked, because things happened to Neville's parents. He thought he could be helped to bring it out at school." Draco chose not to mention that his stepfather might be able to help as the old biddy had already been rude about Dad Severus.

"And we'll help him to practise," said Orion. "If he'd only come to the tuition classes with us, he could have had miles and miles more practise."

"Hmph! Well perhaps I was hasty," said Augusta Longbottom, who had exchanged a few very frank words with Narcissa, and had been unable to trip Narcissa up. "Come on, Neville, we have a lot to do."

The other boys watched her go, and Augusta twitched slightly as Draco's high and carrying treble said,

"I don't know how grown-ups can expect people to be polite to them when they are so dreadfully rude as she is. It's not fair."

"Grown-ups aren't always fair, dear," said Narcissa. "Let's get an ice-cream and then see about everything else, shall we?"

After the excitement of shopping, when Vince and Greg had gone back to their cottages, Draco said,

"Mums, we need to tell you about the odd things Mr. Ollivander said."

"Oh?" Narcissa frowned. Ollivander was rumoured to have the touch of the seer about him, at least in respect to the wands people needed.

The three boys poured out the story.

"Doxy droppings!" swore Narcissa.

"MUMMY!" gasped Orion.

Narcissa sighed.

"Well, as Lutie knows what the elves say, I had better tell you all about what happened eight years ago," she said. "At that point, I only had one son …" and she explained.

Orion was looking devastated.

"So I'm not properly yours?" he asked, in a small voice.

"Oh yes you are, my son! I chose you. Draco is the child of my body, but you are the child of my decision, and that makes you both as important as each other to me," Narcissa told him. She drew both children to her, hugging them fiercely. "I could not leave a babe the same age as my own little boy there, with bad people, I had to take you along and love you as much as I love Draco. And both of you have gained a brother out of it."

Orion looked at Draco.

"We are brothers," said Draco. "But I'm glad I wasn't being stupid in not remembering Uncle Paddy and Uncle Moony. I really didn't remember them, did I?"

"No, I'm afraid not, but while you were little we had to pretend, so neither of you said anything accidentally," said Narcissa. "I was going to explain to you both, but Ollivander rather forced my hand. Well, as you know that, you might as well know the other, rather scary thing I wanted to tell you both." She explained about the horcruces, and how Orion had been one until his scar was removed.

"Well that's one less time he can come back, anyway," said Orion. "And he used the snake, and there's one left. We can look for that."

"I can ask the castle elves; even if they don't know I'm an elf, I know how to ask them questions to get the right answers," said Lutie.

"Good, we will find it," said Draco. "What do we tell our friends?"

"That," said Narcissa, "Depends greatly on how much you trust them. I would prefer that you did not tell the headmaster; I do not trust him enough to let him know. I know Uncle Sirius thinks it was bad judgement that led him to put Orion, or rather, Harry, with those muggles, but I think he was hoping to have a malleable, cowed child, to build up for himself. He's an arrogant bas … er, man."

"It's all right, Mummy, we know the bad word," said Draco.

In the book of those to come to Hogwarts, the name 'Orion Malfoy' flickered briefly to say 'Harry Potter' and returned to 'Orion Malfoy' as Orion assimilated who he was supposed to really be, and rejected the identity as nothing to do with Draco's twin. Nobody noticed.

"What about me remembering daddy – Lucius – beating me?" asked Orion.

"I expect that you remembered it being Vernon Dursley and merged the two in your infant mind," said Narcissa. "Lucius did beat Draco once. And I don't say he would not have been crueller to a son who looked like my family than to one who looked like his. Lucius is a cruel man."

"I see," said Orion. "We need to fight against anyone cruel."

"And we will," said Draco. "Like that old hag, Longbottom. She's cruel to Neville, she makes him feel bad. You can be cruel with words as well as hurting people by hitting them."

"There's my good boys," said Narcissa. She sighed. "I don't think Augusta Longbottom means to be cruel to Neville. She … I think she is too much affected by what happened to her son, Neville's father, and to Neville's mother. And … it's so nasty, I'm just going to tell you that their minds are hiding away and they don't even recognise their own son."

"Poor Neville!" said Orion. "Well, he can come and stay with us from time to time, and have a nice time away from her."

It was exciting to be on platform nine-and-three-quarters, walking firmly through the wall to the big red engine beyond. They had met up with the Grangers outside the barrier, so that Hermione had someone to go through the wall with. She soon left them, waving frantically at Daphne Greengrasse, and the twins saw someone they knew.

"Hey, it's Gred and Forge!" shouted Draco. "Twins forever!"

"Twins forever!" Fred and George shouted and ran up to butt foreheads with the Malfoy twins.

"I will never understand this twin thing," Madam Weasley said, to nobody in particular.

Her youngest son, Ron, was scowling at his brothers and at the Malfoy contingent.

"They gotta gang already, Mum, with bodyguards of Slytherin types. I bet they try to make trouble," he said. "Percy says everyone knows that the Slytherin families are most dangerous when they are smiling and that they never change."

"Oh Ron, don't be silly, they've shown nothing but kindness to your brothers, and Mrs. Malfoy even got them that computer with the Latin name."

"Yeah, and what did they do with it? They used it to design charms to put on their brooms to go faster," complained Ron, who was jealous.

"I expect if you had been interested, they would have taught you how to use the computer as well," said Molly, who was getting sick of the griping. "Now you look out and see if Harry Potter is starting; he'd be someone to be a good friend to, and there's Neville Longbottom as well."

"There is Neville, and those rotten Malfoys are going to attack him!" yelled Ron, as Neville came forward, grinning, and disappeared in a mob of the Malfoy contingent.

This was because he was telling them all about how he had been able to do real spells with his new wand, and his grandmother had been so impressed that she had told him that if he maintained a pass grade all term, she would buy him a Mimbulus mimbletonia.

"Nah, mate, go for a Nimbus 2000," said Vince.

"Eh? Oh you are a card, Vince, it's a plant I particularly want!"

Vince and Greg exchanged looks, raised eyebrows and made circling motions near their foreheads with their forefingers.

"Hey, Malfoy brats and etceteras, talking of brooms …"

"When people aren't talking of stink-laden plants …"

"We did a program to make a virtual wind tunnel …."

"And we got our Cleansweeps up to over 100mph!" said the Weasley twins.

"Wow," Draco and Orion spoke together. "Here, what's your brother up to?"

"You leave Neville alone, you bullies," shouted Ron.

Several little boys turned and stared at him.

"What are you on about?" asked Draco.

"I saw you grab him and drag him over to you to bully," Ron stuck out his chin and pulled his wand.

"Ron, have y…you b…been eating sweeties your b…brothers made to t…turn you dippy?" Neville started stuttering.

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"We never thought of that," said Fred.

"But it'd be no point testing them on Ronniekins, 'cos nobody could tell the difference," said George.

"We can see what we can come up with and test them on you lot," they said in unison.

"Over your hexed bodies," said Orion. "Dad isn't giving you special tuition to poison his sons and wards with."

The Weasley twins exchanged a look.

"Good point," said George.

"He'd probably use us as potion ingredients," added Fred.

Ron was glaring. Lutie had turned to Neville to ask him what spells he had been working on, and Vince and Greg were sensibly getting themselves onto the train. Hermione and Daphne had already boarded, collecting Susan Bones, and joining the self-possessed Blaise Zabini, who was more than happy to live in a relatively normal family like the Greengrasses. Molly Weasley was trying to shoo her contingent onto the train, and Narcissa clapped her hands.

"Anyone not on the train by the time I count ten will be turned into a house elf until next term and put on latrine cleaning duties," she said crisply. Her sons giggled, and kissed her cheerfully, as did Lutie, and they went off to find Vince and Greg. The Weasley twins decided to assume she meant them as well, and boarded sharply.

"Are you going to kiss me, Ron?" asked Molly.

"Awww MUM!" he protested. "I'm not a sissy like those Malfoys!"

Molly sighed. Narcissa smiled at her.

"I suspect it's the last one I'll have, er, Molly," she said. "Boys get so very hung up on showing affection, don't they?"

"I … yes, Narcissa, I suppose they do," said Molly, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Dear me, I am sorry Ron was so silly about not joining your lads, I'm sure it's done Fred and George wonders, I wasn't sure if they would do well at all, but they've been getting consistently high marks. Especially in potions; Severus was talking about making them apprentices."

"I thought he might," said Narcissa. "They are nice, unaffected boys, but I suspect that Ron feels overshadowed by them. He needs to find out for himself that you value him too."

"I thought he knew," said Molly, sadly. "I was hoping that he was likely to meet Harry Potter; he's the same age as our own boys, you know."

"I didn't hear that he'd been found," said Narcissa.

"Oh, no, nor had I, but I was hoping he had, and that Albus had him hidden somewhere until school started," said Molly.

"Unhealthy not to give him a chance to meet other wizarding children, but you're right, it would be like Dumbledore," said Narcissa."

"I think you wrong him, Narcissa."

"I hope so, Molly. I hope so. But I do know what his last theory was; which was that Tom Riddle himself possessed the child and obliviated his relatives, in which case if he did turn up, he would scarcely be a nice friend for anyone."

Molly gasped, but it was too late; the train had gone.

"I will send an owl to Ron," she said.

"I didn't see anyone answering his description, however, so …." Narcissa shrugged.

"If he is truly dead, then we are doomed," Molly looked frightened.

"Really, Molly? When I was able to finger many of Riddle's hidden assets in the ministry so that he has no concealed power base to come back to – if he manages to do so? I think you underestimate the Order. I have every faith in their abilities."

"Oh Narcissa, really? Yes, you must do, or you wouldn't have risked yourself by putting forward all those names. It must have been hell living with Lucius."

"I have put it behind me," said Narcissa. "Come on, Molly, let's have a coffee in a muggle coffee shop, and try not to brood about how much we miss our reprobates already."


	14. Chapter 14

_Christmas bonus; have a good holiday  
_

 **Chapter 14**

The half dozen large and menacing looking students, in uniforms trimmed with the green of Slytherin house, loomed in the doorway of the carriage. Nott was with them, peering under arms.

"That's the Malfoys, and Goyle and Crabbe are with them, and Greengrasse and Zabini and the mudblood and I don't know the others," said Nott. "Oh the Weasley twins," he said with distaste.

"We want to talk to the Malfoys and Crabbe and Goyle; the rest of you can scram and if the mudblood kisses our feet we won't hurt her," said one of the big boys.

"What's mudblood and why should our friends scram?" asked Orion.

Daphne and Blaise got up and picked up their luggage quietly.

"Hey, you don't have to do what they say, they aren't even prefects," said Draco.

"We don't want any trouble, Malfoy," said Daphne. "My house is traditionally neutral. I'd strongly advise everyone else not named to leave. And mudblood is a word for muggleborn."

"Your loss," said Orion as they left. "I don't like the sound of this word 'mudblood'; it's offensive."

"Well, that's because mudbloods are offensive to pure blood wizards who aren't blood traitors like those Weasley brats. Are you a blood traitor, Malfoy?"

"No, I'm blood proud, and I intend to show that Malfoys can rise above having a scummy Death Eater father," said Orion.

"You should be proud of your father!" growled the boy.

"Well we aren't, he's a bully and a crook, and we're glad he's in Azkaban," said Draco.

"And we're glad our fathers were put away too, Greg and me, they hit us about," said Vince.

"Yeah," agreed Greg.

"A nice little nest of blood traitors! Well, as your filthy mudblood friend and the others haven't left, you can all be punished for betraying Slytherin House."

"If we were in Slytherin House, which isn't very likely, it isn't a betrayal to reject Tom Riddle and all his works," said Orion.

"We don't want a dark lord, we're English and free, and we won't creep to kiss the robes of anyone, and we won't let anyone make Hermione do so either," said Draco. "So leave us alone and we'll leave you alone."

"You snotty little brats, we so are going to get you for that, ain't we, Flint?" said one of the others. "You will come into line."

"Yeah," said Flint, drawing his wand. The Weasley twins were better than any third years had a right to be, but the other brats couldn't know any spells yet, and there were six of them, as well as Nott, all in the fifth.

It was a great shock to the six Slytherin fifth formers to be hit with a barrage of very competent spells by all the first years as well as by the Weasley twins, and their wands wrenched from them with multiple disarming spells as they ended up bound and tickled, one of them pale lavender with outrageous frills on his clothing and smelling like a brothel, Flint vomiting slugs, and growing lurid purple tentacles as several spell effects interacted, and all of them with their feet on backwards.

They were pushed out of the carriage, and the door shut on them firmly.

Hermione put her wand away.

"I wonder if I'm going to regret this?" she said.

"Nah, never regret hexing bullies," said Fred. "Nice curse, what was it, that lavender thing?"

Hermione went pink.

"I developed it myself," she said. "I call it the lavender bag curse. I hate lavender bags."

"No shit, Sherlock!" said Draco, grinning at her. "Teach us please? How long does it last?"

"Twenty four hours," said Hermione, "Though _finite incantatem_ should take it off."

"We can hope none of the prefects know it so the teachers get to see him like it," said Draco, happily.

"Before we learn the spell, I think we need to form an anti-Death Eater group," said Orion, intensely. "And that means we need to share a serious secret with you all, so if you can't keep a secret you'd better leave."

"My aunt heads the auror's office, I'd be a poor creature if I couldn't keep a secret and fight darkness," said Susan.

"We keep heaps of our own secrets, mostly from Percy," said George.

"We ain't good at keeping secrets, Greg and me," said Vince, worried. "Not if we forget. But we want to fight Death Eaters."

"We know how to make a magical contract," said Fred. "It'd be a bit brute force, Vince, but you and Greg are good to have in a tight corner, and if you'll put up with having languelock cast on you if you try to talk about it, we can twist it to not last for more than a minute, so that you know you've made a ghastly idiot of yourselves, and we can all have the same contract so fair is fair."

"Good, that's handy," said Orion. "Can you do that now?"

"Yeah. We need a name." Fred spoke up.

"Well, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus were the Marauders … with others. Could we be the New Marauders?" suggested Draco.

"You mean they have been the Marauders all along …."

"And we never knew?" the Weasleys were excited about something.

"What were there Marauder names?" asked George.

"Padfoot and Moony," said Orion.

The twins looked at each other.

"Then when we have the contract sorted out, we will also have a secret to share, and it's a Marauder's secret," said Fred.

"Is it right to belong to secret societies?" asked Hermione.

"It is if it's to save the world from Tom Riddle," Lutie almost squeaked back in his elf voice.

"It's right to stand up for good," said Neville.

"It's no different to the grown-ups Order of the Phoenix," said Susan.

"Oh, if you think so," said Hermione. "Should we invite Daphne and Blaise?"

"No," said Orion, frowning. "They ran out on us and didn't want trouble. If we have junior Death Eaters to deal with, we'll have trouble in plenty. Though I reckon Dad Severus will back us."

"Oh dear, I had rather hoped to stay friends with Daphne," said Hermione. "But if I'm in a serious society, I can't."

"You've got us," said Draco. "And whatever house any of us is in, it doesn't matter because we can Maraud across house, because we're better than the idiots who only want in-house friendships."

"I sort of hoped to have a girl friend," said Hermione, looking doubtfully at Susan.

"We will be close if we're working together," said Susan. "I was going to lie low and say very little, but actually if I've got friends, I _will_ fight, because I owe it to my parents and Uncle Edgar who were killed by Death Eaters and my Aunt Amelia who works against them."

Hermione nodded.

"Great," she said. "I was sort of hoping to be Ravenclaw."

"I was going to go into Hufflepuff, but I wonder if I ought to try for Gryffindor," said Susan.

"My gran wants me to go into Gryffindor, but I want to be in Hufflepuff," said Neville.

"We're already in Gryffindor," said George.

"It's a pity Slytherin is full of bullies or it would be great to get someone in all the houses," said Fred.

"I'll go for Slytherin," said Lutie. "I've got ways to escape bullies they can't guess at because I've got a secret too."

Fred and George wrestled with the magic of the contract, making sure that it covered the ability to speak about secrets just between the group.

"And be damned careful nobody overhears," said George, who had already cast a muffliatus spell on the carriage, and Fred had added aversion spells to the door.

They nodded solemnly and signed, Orion and Draco first, then Fred and George, Hermione, Lutie, Susan, Neville, Vincent and Greg.

"Right," said Orion. "It goes like this." And he shared who he really was, to the shock of all their friends.

"And it makes it right for me to be a Marauder too, because my real father was Mr. Prongs," he finished.

"Who was Mr. Wormtail?" asked Fred.

"Peter Pettigrew, who betrayed my parents to Tom Riddle, his dark lord," said Orion. "And fitted up Uncle Paddy for it."

"Right," said George. "We have the map they made; we, er, filched it from Filch, who is the caretaker and a nasty piece of work." He got out the parchment, touched it with his wand, and said "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The others exclaimed over the clever way the map showed all the castle, and the people moving around in it.

"And you hide it by saying 'Mischief managed'," said Fred. "Ok, Lutie, what's your secret?"

"I'm an elf," said Lutie. "I've learned to be a human animagus but I can still do elf magic, and I know how to talk to elves to get them to tell secrets they won't usually tell masters. And yes, I learned to talk like a human. I'm Orion's secret bodyguard because I can take him or Draco anywhere with Elf apparation. And I think it's all in the arithmency of it, so I'd really like to see if anyone else can learn how to do it."

"Wicked!" said George.

"I'm not sure it's legal, forcing an elf to pose as a human," said Susan.

"I'm not forced! I'm a free elf, and I do it for a love-bond!" said Lutie.

"Never mind legalities, think of the advantages," said Fred.

"And we'll probably end up breaking most school rules anyway, if we are serious about working together against Death Eaters," said Orion. "Are you sure you're happy to be in Slytherin, Lutie? You don't have to be. They'll remember you as one of our friends."

"No they won't because I can make them not even notice me," said Lutie. "And that way I can also overhear plans and spy on them."

"Now that is wicked," said Draco. "You are brave, Lutie!"

"No, I is … I am a bit scared, but I know how good I am," said Lutie. "And you've made me that good with extra lessons, so I can do my job better by spying than by us all being together. House elves isn't … aren't … used to being close to others anyway."

Orion hugged him.

"Right, all of us are Marauders now, and we can get people in every house," he said. "And I think we're there!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Are yuh all here?" the biggest man any of them had ever seen was waiting for the first years. "Where's Harry then? Ain't Harry Potter here?" he seemed baffled.

"I don't think there's anyone of that name," said Draco. "We didn't talk to anyone called that, though I don't think any of us met everyone?"

"No, we stayed in our compartment after those big boys tried to bully us," said Orion."

"Ar, well, there are bullies," said the big, bearded man. "I'm Hagrid, and if yuh'll all hurry along, and inter the boats, please …no Harry Potter, that's bad. Yeah, real bad."

"Why, sir?" asked another boy, a black lad with a London accent.

"I ain't sir, jest Hagrid," said Hagrid. "Well, it's bad because Harry Potter was supposed to start this year and he's the chosen one."

"Perhaps he got cold feet about being a chosen one and went with private tuition," said Draco.

"Oh, no, he wouldn't, not Harry, he already defeated You-Know-Who when he was a baby."

"I don't know who," piped the child who had asked why it was bad.

"Then shut up and learn your place, ignorant mudblood," said Nott.

"You so are waiting to have your face smashed in," said Vince. "Muggleborns aren't any different to pure bloods, 'cepting Hermione is smarter than almost anyone."

"The name of he whom people won't name," said Orion, "Is Tom Riddle . Self-styled Lord Voldemort, but he can use magic to hear when anyone uses that ridiculous name, and so people won't say it. Call him Riddle. It's a belittling name and so suitable for a megalomaniac. Harry Potter didn't exactly defeat him, he bounced the killing curse because of his mother's sacrifice, but would you want to be going to school where everyone expected you to be the… the nemesis of a wizard Hitler?"

"Oh, right," said the muggleborn lad. "No, I guess not. I'm Dean Thomas." He thrust out a hand. Orion shook it.

"Orion Malfoy; my twin Draco, our friends Hermione Granger, Susan Bones, Lutie Fairchild, Vince Crabbe, Greg Goyle, Neville Longbottom."

"Well, well, come along!" Hagrid herded them all into boats and they found themselves heading for the castle, its lights a myriad fairytale shimmer in the dark lake's reflection, and impressive in the very solid castle above.

"Why am I getting thoughts of Minas Tirith, and the idea of a man who can hear his own chosen name having delusions of being Sauron?" muttered Hermione.

"Hehe and our stepdad is Aragorn, who can look foul when he's in a snit but feels fair," chuckled Draco.

"You people are way too fond of muggle fantasy books," said Orion.

"You ought to read more, Orion, it'll help you think outside the box," scolded Hermione. "Anyway, doesn't it help to think of Death Eaters as orcs?"

"Well, Lucius was a troll," said Orion. "And he wasn't a proper dad to us so I'm not going to call him any sort of paternal name any more. Dad Severus is our Dad."

"Yeah," agreed Draco. "I think he was the mouth of Sauron. Does that make Professor Dumbledore Gandalf?"

Orion rolled his eyes. Still, if he was supposed to kill Tom Riddle, he had a better chance than a rather bucolic hobbit.

"You do talk rubbish," said Susan.

"It's because our Mum wanted us to have as much education about muggles as about our own world," said Draco. "We need to understand them to stay safe."

"I think it's disgusting," said Pansy Parkinson.

"You can think, Parkinson? That's a new accomplishment since we last met you," said Draco.

"No, she can't, or she wouldn't spout such rubbish," said Orion. "Her poor little braincell overloads."

Pansy flounced, and the boat rocked.

"Yeah, fall overboard and drown, why don't you, nobody will miss you," said Greg.

"Nah then, less of all that arguing," said Hagrid. "Soon be there, and then them of you as don't like folks as aren't pure blood can put yourselves into House Slytherin where the other bullies are."

The children, when landed, were escorted into the Great Hall by a tall, austere witch with glasses. She looked them all over, and a look of disappointment flooded over her face.

There was a rather disreputable old hat on a stool, and as the children waited, it sang a song about dark times needing co-operation.

And then each in turn had to go sit on the stool while the talking hat declared which house they'd be in.

Susan was one of the earliest to be sorted and wavered a little before being sorted into Hufflepuff. She threw an apologetic look at Fred and George.

"And that's it?" said Ron Weasley. "Fred and George said it was a terrible and painful ritual."

"And you believed them? C'mon, Weasley!" said Orion. "Those two would take a rise out of anyone with the least provocation."

"Yeah," said Ron. "I say, I thought you were attacking Neville earlier; your father was always rotten to mine."

"Well he was rotten to us too," said Orion. "We don't have to be like him."

"No, I guess not. I saw what you did to Flint's gang; that was awesome."

"We didn't waste our time with those extra lessons," said Orion.

"I … well maybe you would teach me some jinxes?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Meanwhile Vince took the stool and went, grinning, into Hufflepuff, who clapped politely but dubiously while the Slytherin table shouted abuse. At the staff table, Severus Snape scowled and a sudden deathly hush fell on the Slytherin table as all the goblets of pumpkin juice simultaneously lifted and poured over the heads of those making a noise. Severus too had been practising wordless and wandless magic with his sons.

"An interesting solution," said Dumbledore.

"Yes, headmaster, I thought dampening their … ardour … was better than taking points right away," said Severus. "I would hate the new, and potentially innocent, members of the house to be disadvantaged."

"I'm sure your stepsons will manage to avoid too much trouble," said Dumbledore, dryly.

Lutie meanwhile went into Slytherin, and was scarcely noticed, and Greg joined Vince in Hufflepuff. Hermione was next, and went into Ravenclaw after a long pause, where Daphne rapidly joined her. The Slytherin table were hissing gently as more traditional Slytherins went into other houses.

Neville went into Hufflepuff where Vince and Greg slapped him on the shoulder companionably. And then it was the turn of the Malfoy twins, with Draco first. There was almost as long an argument with him as there had been with Hermione before the hat declared for Hufflepuff; and then it was Orion's turn.

" _Bless my soul!_ " said the hat. " _Ambition enough for Slytherin, not sure you'd like Ravenclaw, brave enough for Gryffindor … masquerading as you are, and being a parselmouth, Slytherin is suggested …_ "

" _I am loyal to my brother and to my oath to defeat Riddle, and I learned all I know, including parseltongue, by hard work,_ " Orion thought at the hat. " _I would prefer to be Hufflepuff._ "

" _Well, if you are determined …._ Hufflepuff!"

Orion took himself over to the Hufflepuff table with firm tread, grinning at his friends. They would miss Hermione and Lutie. However, Mummy had said that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw did lessons together, and knowing Lutie, he would probably join them without anyone noticing.

"No Harry Potter and no boy who looks remotely like him, or like James or like Lily," Minerva McGonagall reported. "Nor, for that matter, one who looks like a young Tom Riddle."

"Well, it was a thought," said Dumbledore, disappointed. "I had hoped to know, one way or the other …"

"I think, headmaster, we have to conclude that Harry Potter is dead," said Minerva, bluntly.

"I fear you are right," said Dumbledore. "I am not sure what to do."

"I would wait until he would be of age, before doing anything," said Severus. "Has it occurred to you that a child of the supposed power of the chosen one might even have managed to erase all knowledge of himself in a burst of accidental magic, and ran away?"

"Bless my soul!" Dumbledore blinked. "Could it be so simple? But I found no records of any child found by muggle authorities…"

"There are always gypsies, with whom a dark haired boy would fit in, and some of them are capable of small magics, even if not enough to be considered for education," said Severus. It was not unreasonable that he should be glaring at his Slytherins, not meeting the headmaster's gaze. "Or, having been exposed to the concept of animagi, he might have become a dog like his godfather."

Dumbledore gasped.

"And he might be trapped in that form …"

"He might indeed, headmaster," said Severus. "There is no telling what a child of extraordinary power might do, when forced into an intolerable situation, to escape his torturers."

"I had no idea how badly the Dursleys were treating him," said Dumbledore.

"Arabella Figg did report on it," said Minerva. "You said she was a hysterical old biddy."

"I … I seriously did not think anyone could act to their own flesh and blood as she described," said Albus.

"People will act shamefully about their own flesh and blood if they consider there is shame to be covered," said Minerva. "Look how badly many squibs are treated, subjected to horrific ordeals to try to force them to reveal their magic, or locked up and hidden, and never allowed to talk to anyone."

"Yes," said Severus. "My boys wrote and told me that Neville Longbottom was thrown out of a window to make him reveal his magic. And that Ollivander believes it is locked by the trauma of his parents' ordeal. They asked me to use legilimensy to help him find his magic. And I intend to do so. He _is_ after all the other one who might have been meant in the prophecy. And we need to protect him. If Riddle returns, if he can't find a Harry Potter, he might go after Neville to be absolutely certain."

"Dear me!" Dumbledore buried his face in his hands. "It will not be easy."

"No, it won't," said Severus. "But Narcissa and I did tell my boys about Horcruces and that one may be hidden here. You can trust inventive small boys to find anything hidden far more easily than any adult can."

"Was that wise, Severus, to expose small boys to such evil?" Minerva was concerned.

"Better than having the little horrors find it and not know how dangerous it is," said Severus. "I could wish you had not got that thing here."

"Well, you know why that is here," said Dumbledore.

Severus nodded. The philosopher's stone was to tempt Voldemort out, especially if he was hiding in the body of Harry Potter, and Severus had no intention of telling Dumbledore that he was not. Severus strongly suspected Quirinius Quirrel of being under Imperius Curse to Voldemort, as he was acting strangely.

"Well, I had better make the announcement," said Dumbledore, banging on the table.

He made a few innocuous announcements and then told the school that the corridor on the third floor was strictly off limits on pain of certain death.

"I wonder what that was about?" wondered Orion.

"Probably someone had an apportation exam accident and opened up a room to the moon or something," suggested Draco.

"More than likely," agreed Orion. Magical accidents happened, and such things had to be sorted out at the proper arithmantic time.

This rumour circulated so quickly that even dares to go there were out of fashion.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Severus looked around his assembled Slytherins coldly.

"Right, my children, it's time we had a rather frank talk." His voice was smooth and silky and very menacing. "I'm hearing Death Eater type talk and it's time it stopped. Your, er, sad devotion to this, er, recent religion has not enabled you to rise above your fellows, or conjured up enough ability to be more than turgid students." He adapted the quote from that ridiculous muggle film with the equally silly name, 'Star Wars', as though stars could fight. The children had dragged him to see it. Severus thought that Darth Vader had more style than Voldemort. "Voldemort – yes, I do dare to use his pseudonym – is nothing but a bogey man. His name is Tom Riddle, a half-blood. Yes, indeed," as there were gasps, "A blood-liar if you will, and he is a loser. He was defeated by a baby. And even if that baby does not return to finish him off, it doesn't matter. He has lost all his supporters to Azkaban. And there they will stay. He is a sad puppy who cannot muster a squad, never mind an army. And I am sick and tired of having my children in this house creeping around like a bunch of imbeciles wanting to kneel and kiss the hem of the robe of a loser in the fond hopes of being noticed in a good way and to avoid the cruciatus curse. Why anyone in their right mind would want to follow an insane megalomaniac whose supposed ideals are actually farcical in the light of his blood status I cannot comprehend."

"Sir, I thought you were a Death Eater," ventured Flint. Some of the sixth formers nodded.

"You thought? Are you sure, Flint?" said Severus. "I am not sure I would define the turgid tergiversations which occur between your ears as thought, but I suppose one must be charitable and permit you the delusion that it comes close."

"I'd like to see your left arm, sir," said Flint.

Severus smiled.

"Ah, plainly a follower of the American constitution," he purred. "The right of the people to bare arms. Very well, let us put this rumour to bed once and for all." He rolled up the sleeve of his robe and displayed his smooth, undamaged forearm.

There were gasps.

"I … I beg your pardon, sir," said Flint.

"Granted. I, you see, am not a loser, nor one who whines for someone else to solve my own problems. I know some of you have had rather muddled messages from your fathers, but perhaps you should reflect that your fathers are paying for their belief in these muddled messages. You do not have to. None of you have yet taken the mark, as Riddle has been … indisposed … for so long. I strongly advise you to take a path away from doing so when he tries to return."

"Is it not a mark of his greatness that he can return?" asked a sixth former.

"Mark of greatness? Mark of insanity, more like," said Severus. "A man who splits parts of his soul off to hide the parts in various places has so little of himself left, he'd be squirrel food even if he was sane to start off with. Which he was not. When all those pieces are destroyed, he will be unable to return again. And believe me, it's a matter only of time."

Several of them muttered uncomfortably amongst themselves, and Severus decided to leave them to it, and strode out, back to his office.

Here he found a gaggle of children, including Neville, waiting for him, outside the door.

"Ah, I see, Neville needs my help. Did I really need this much help to help Neville?"

"We're here as moral support," said Susan. "And Hermione would be here too if she hadn't been Ravenclawed."

"And how did you get to the private door of my office inside Slytherin House, or don't I want to know?" asked Severus.

"We asked the Bloody Baron for the password," said Draco.

"You're supposed to be scared of him."

"Why?" asked Orion. "He's a ghost. It's the living who are dangerous."

"He doesn't usually talk to students," Severus ushered them all in.

"No, but we made nice to him," said Susan. "We said pretty please with a cherry on the top because we weren't sure how to find any other way in."

"I wager the poor ghost is shocked at being haunted by Hufflepuffs," muttered Severus. "Sit down, Neville, and let me see. _Legilimens,"_ he added as Neville obediently sat down. "They shared everything? Very well, you and the Weasley twins and Hermione will have to come to me once a week to learn occlumensy. I have no intention of letting Albus read all your secrets just because he can. It isn't easy, so try not to get into any kind of detention with him in the mean time."

"No, sir," they chorused.

"Well, he would probably pick on Neville first as the prophecy might have applied to you, my boy, if Riddle hadn't chosen it to mean the Potter boy," said Severus. "So a bit of legilimensy and occlumensy training is vital for you, as well as it helping you to understand your own blockages. Yes, it is here, and it is covering the terrifying memory of hearing your parents in pain. Are you brave enough to have the memory back to unlock your magic?"

"Y … yes sir," said Neville. "B… because it's on the edge of memory, and … and I keep trying to reach it, like your tongue reaches for baby teeth to wobble them when you're losing them."

"A good analogy," said Severus. "I will prepare you a calming draught, and a dreamless sleep potion to take to bed with you before we do this."

"Thank you sir," said Neville.

Under the calming draught, Neville sat with tears running silently out of his eyes, as Severus gently undid his own mind's bonds that hid the terrible memory of hearing the torture of his parents. Severus understood the memories better than the child and he realised that he was crying too, when he and Neville were both surrounded by loving arms.

"It is done," said Severus. "Draco, Orion, make cocoa."

"Yes Dad," they said in unison, and Severus could not hold back the savage grin of triumph; it was the first time they had called him 'dad' without his name.

Neville was exhausted.

"I think I'll take him up to Poppy Pomfrey," said Severus. "You lot run along, and use the door into the dungeons this time."

They nodded and departed.

Neville was back in school for breakfast.

"It was quite funny," he said to his friends, "Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey were arguing in whispers. She seemed cross with him for using legilimensy on me, and he asked her if she approved of a child being abused by his relatives and accused wrongly of being a squib, as if that was anything to abuse a child over anyway, and didn't she think me old enough to make choices about knowing the realities of life. And she asked if he had explained things to me, and Professor Snape looked down his nose and suggested that she ask me."

"Did she?" asked Draco.

"Yes, and I told her that Professor Snape had laid out my options and that I preferred to know properly than be scared of a monster lurking in the dark that was worse for imagining it than looking it in the eye." He grinned. "And Professor Snape smirked."

"Dad has even her convinced that he's the evil bat of the dungeons," said Orion.

"How are you, old man?" asked Vince.

"I'm all good," said Neville. "Well, it's a lot to have to handle, but Professor Snape showed me how to do it, inside my head, to reach my core whilst standing aside from the memories. I need to practise, but I guess if I'm doing magic at school I'll be practising. He said I should learn the mind clearing techniques you all learned to help you cast spells."

"Oh, that's easy enough," said Draco. "We can bring you up to speed on that."

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were to have charms first and then defence against the dark arts. As Orion had expected, Lutie slid into classes with them

"Lutie, what are you like?" scolded Hermione. "You'll get into trouble."

"No, Hermione I won't, I have to get caught to get into trouble," said Lutie.

"You might if you have to hand in homework as a Slytherin before we do," said Orion.

"Oh well, I'll worry about that if it happens," said Lutie. "I am hearing lots of talk about whether or not Tom Riddle can come back and how come Mr. Severus has been finding his horcruces, not that they know the name. He's got them well spooked."

"Good," said Draco. "We don't need their sort thinking they are something special."

"They are also speculating about what sort of mess Professor Quirrel will make of teaching DADA," said Lutie. "Apparently he used to teach muggle studies, which of course those supremacists despise, but he took a year off to learn enough about the dark arts, and came back with that odd turban. They are wondering if it's a muggle defence against demons or something, and if he's gone loopy."

"Muggles don't worry about demons any more," said Orion.

"Except in parts of America where they're a bit loony anyway," said Draco.

"It's more likely for them to believe in aliens from outer space," said Hermione. "Some people wear colanders on their heads or tin foil hats, or both, to stop people reading their minds from space, or government agents controlling them."

"That's barmy, Hermione mate," said Greg. "Government agents for muggles would be muggles."

"Well, Slytherin don't have a monopoly on being barmy, Greg," retorted Hermione.

They all laughed.

"Well people across all houses wear charms which are utterly useless, Gran says," volunteered Neville. "I s'ppose it goes to prove that muggles and wizards are just as gullible as each other."

They agreed, laughing, and went into charms, where little Professor Flitwick explained how the incantation and wand movement were the most important things.

"Miss, er, Granger?" he squeaked as Hermione put up her hand.

"Please, sir, you can't do wand motions when casting wandlessly and you don't use an incantation to cast wordlessly. Sirius Black says concentration of will is the important thing."

"Dear me, Miss Granger, are you casting wordlessly and wandlessly already?" squeaked Flitwick.

"Of course sir; until we are allowed a wand it's the easiest way to do things."

"Dear me! Anyone else? Oh my goodness!" Flitwick looked excited as the study group all raised their hands, including Daphne and Blaise. "Well well, I shall have fun with this class! Miss Granger, in answer to your question, when casting wordlessly, the intent is important, and many people also use the unspoken incantation in their heads to shape the spell. With wandless casting, the will must be focussed more directly. The existence of a wand, and the movements you use help to draw a spell out of your will, if you like, after the manner of focussing a lens to cause a light to be concentrated on a spot on a page. Concentrating magic by the will alone is not always mastered by even adults."

"I see, Professor. An interesting analogy," said Hermione.

The rest of the class might have been inclined to murmur about a lone student who claimed to cast wordlessly and wandlessly, but with a hedge of hands up, and most of them Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws in particular were inclined to want to find a way not to be left behind, and the Hufflepuffs were inclined to be smug, if not as ambitious to copy their fellows.

"I'd like to see those more, er, practised pupils perform a hovering charm on a feather without wands first," said Flitwick; and was amazed and delighted to see some very well-behaved feathers. "And now with your wands, please; some people who have controlled their accidental magic can have rather extreme results when they first try a wand."

"I'm glad Mummy made us work with those practise wands she got," Draco murmured to Orion. "I'd hate to have any accidents."

The study group managed moderately well controlled feathers with wands, and when the rest of the class tried, only Neville had an accident as his feather shot up in the air and burst into flames.

"Dear me, Mr. Longbottom, are you also used to casting wandlessly? You did not put your hand up."

"Oh no sir, but it's brilliant! I never got anything to move at all until I got a wand that chose me, not my Dad's old wand, that one never did anything!"

"Well, well, apparently your new wand is very much attuned to you; you'll need to practice to get it under control," said Flitwick, delighted.

"You got your magic opened, you prune," whispered Orion.

Neville's eyes opened.

"Oh, yeah!" he agreed.

It was a moot point who was happier, Flitwick in having so talented a class, or Neville for having enough magic to incinerate something.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

After a short break it was DADA.

Ron grabbed Neville's arm during the break as they passed near the Gryffindors.

"Watch out for Quirrel, he's up the pole," he said. "Kep' asking us if any of us was Harry Potter; asked each of us individually. He's creepy."

"What are we going to do? If he's using Legilimensy he'll find out," Neville whispered, worried, to his group.

"I have an idea, just follow my lead," said Hermione. "Just bear in mind that the Boy-Who-Lived is just a symbol and has no special powers past being able to be loved and followed by other people; so if we love and follow an ideal we don't need the person of a Harry Potter."

"Not sure what you're up to, Hermie, but it's probably devious enough for Slytherin, clever enough for Ravenclaw, brave enough for Gryffindor and loyal enough for Hufflepuff," said Vince.

"What he said," agreed Greg.

Professor Quirrel was a thin and unhealthy looking wizard, whose outsize turban looked most incongruous to everyone except the muggle born, who thought all wizarding garb looked incongruous.

"G…g…good morning class," said Quirrel. "Now, I'm sure you all know who the most d…dangerous wizard in the world is."

Draco put his hand up.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"The one who knows more jinxes than you do," said Draco.

The class laughed.

"I w…was looking for a m…more definitive answer," said Quirrel.

Orion put his hand up.

"Mr. … another Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir. I think that it's a bit er, subjective, because if you are the wizard on the street, the most dangerous wizard is the ministry man who wants to enact legislation that threatens your rights, if you're a Death Eater, it's Professor Dumbledore. And if you are elderly I expect most people would think of Tom Riddle."

"Y… you mean He Who Must Not Be Named?" hissed Quirrel, almost malevolently.

"Well I don't see why people won't name him. He's dead and can't sue," said Orion, recklessly.

"Some say he will return."

Orion shrugged.

"Let him; he's nothing. If he does, he can be arrested like the stupid losers who followed him."

"You consider your father a stupid loser?"

"Well, yeah," said Orion.

"He was a real prat," said Draco.

"Dear me," said Quirrel. "I doubt many people have such a blasé outlook that you Malfoys have. I was going to say that this year is honoured by having Harry Potter in it, the only person to defeat You-Know-Who. And I was hoping that Harry Potter would stand up and identify himself."

There was a brief silence. Then Hermione Granger stood up.

"I'm Spartacus … uh, Harry Potter," she said.

"I'm Harry Potter!" Susan echoed.

"I'm Harry Potter!" said Neville and Draco in one voice, joining the girls. Orion waited for Vince with his deeper voice to rise and claim it, so that he would not be langlocked, as that might be covered by the contract. Greg and Lutie rose as well, and so did several of the muggle born who were familiar with the idea of everyone claiming to be Spartacus in one of the traditional Christmas season films on TV.

Daphne looked dubious, then looked at Blaise, and they both rose, and claimed to be Harry Potter.

"Miss – whoever you are! You disrespect Harry Potter!" Quirrel was beside himself.

The rest of the class, good for a rag, also promptly rose and claimed to be Harry Potter.

And then the Headmaster walked in, and silence fell.

"What on earth is going on?" asked Albus Dumbledore.

"Th…that girl c…claimed to be H…Harry P…Potter and all the rest copied her!" declared Quirrel.

"Miss Granger? Why did you do that?" asked Dumbeldore.

"Because everyone knows that the real Harry Potter was murdered by his awful aunt and uncle, but the spirit of who he was lives on. And if we all stand together against evil, we _are_ all Harry Potter, because we can believe in a symbol and pledge never to let darkness defeat us!" declaimed Hermione, in a ringing tone.

"That is the future Mrs. Draco Malfoy," said Draco to Orion, in admiration.

Dumbledore looked at Hermione in surprise.

"Well, well, I had been considering explaining that as a muggle-born student you might not have understood the full import of who Harry Potter … was, but I believe you have understood that better than those of us who have despaired over his disappearance and give hope to despondent old fogies like myself, who were deeply concerned. If you all, indeed, are Harry Potter in spirit, I do not need to have any fears for the future. And even the two Misters Malfoy?"

Draco spoke up.

"Sir, my brother and I want to make House Malfoy a family to be proud of, not to be ashamed of because of our nasty bully of a father. We aren't going to let his choices spoil our lives."

"Well said, Draco," said Orion, smiling at his brother, and not looking at the headmaster.

"Well said indeed," agreed Dumbledore. "And Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle the same?"

"Yes sir," said Vince, and Greg nodded.

"Well, I am proud of all of you; twenty points each to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," said Dumbledore. "And I fear that is the bell to end the lesson."

"Weasley is right, Quirrel is creepy," said Orion. "I didn't want to look at him in case he's a legilimens."

"I let my mind calculate the squares of every number up to thirty while I was looking at him," said Hermione.

"Now that probably is a genius way to disturb most legilimenses," said Draco. "You're brilliant, Hermione."

Hermione flushed.

"Well, it comes easily to me," she said.

"Why do you suppose he wears that turban? It can't be anything to do with warding against aliens or dark creatures, can it?" wondered Orion.

"Dunno, perhaps we ought to practise _wingardium leviosa_ on it," said Vince, who was buoyant that he and Greg had made a better showing than some of the Ravenclaws.

"Vince, that's actually quite brilliant," said Draco. "We need to practise working together on it, and figure out how and where to do it."

"What if he has an embarrassing growth or curse?" said Hermione.

"Then he's a fool not to get dad to sort it out," said Orion. "No point being embarrassed about something that can be sorted."

"Oh, I suppose," said Hermione. "I just didn't think it was nice to embarrass a grown up."

"Hermione," said Orion, "how would you have felt if you had been Harry Potter? Raised by rotten people who denied magic to you, and suddenly everyone wants you to be Superman, Luke Skywalker and Flash Gordon all rolled into one? Because that's the feeling I'm getting from the people who want the Boy Who Lived to be around."

"Wow," said Hermione. "That's really bad. And it would have been dreadfully embarrassing even under the circumstance of it happening according to plan. Him, you, no, him, being there as Harry Potter I mean."

"Did our peerless Hermione lose herself in pronouns there?" teased Susan.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"I don't think Quirrel likes Harry Potter or believes at all in his supposed powers," said Orion, frowning. "I think he was planning to embarrass and belittle him. Perhaps he's expecting someone reared as The Chosen One to be an arrogant little twerp."

"Maybe that was Dumbledore's reasoning in choosing the awful family, so that he didn't grow up to be an arrogant little twerp," said Neville.

"You might be on to something there, Neville, mate," said Draco. "Trouble is, there's a subtle difference between depressing pretension and merely depressing."

"Yes, and it will either drive magic in so it can't be accessed, like mine or have the kid in that situation coming out madder than a hornet that's been kicked," said Neville. "And neither of those is a healthy sort of way to launch a chosen one at a baddy."

"Sometimes grown-ups are just so dim," sighed Orion.

 _[Author's note: I confess to being somewhat inspired by the video of 'Locking up the Sun' by Poets Of The Fall. Harry Potter was always supposed to be the 'scapegoat to rock the boat … someone expendable' but the video shows the grey men taking off their masks/muzzles in response to the line 'Is there a hero somewhere' as they realise there is a hero in everyone. ]_


	18. Chapter 18

_Thank you, Guest, for your review! glad you are enjoying. If everyone was Spartacus we wouldn't have such arses for political masters, but alas ..._

 **Chapter 18**

"I have to say that I am impressed by the Granger girl's idea that anyone can be a hero, if they stand together and stand up to be counted," enthused Dumbledore. "I gather Quirinius has been trying to find out whether Harry Potter is here in disguise."

"Which definitely argues for him being an agent of Tom Riddle," said Severus. "I can't see him thinking of that idea on his own."

"Quirinius is not stupid," said Minerva, "But I do rather take your point. Has he been lurking around that dog's door?"

"Yes," said Severus. "I like the rumour that has spread, by the way, that it's a splinch-gate to the moon. It keeps the kids away far more surely than mere certain death. With luck, the only person you will catch, Albus, is Quirinius, and not certain more lawless elements who think they can cheat death. Cheating a vacuum is a far worse fate than so nebulous a threat. For those who know anything about it, that is. For those who don't, it's merely boring."

"I would not have thought of that," said Dumbledore. "The imaginations of children are sometimes very useful."

The imaginations of children were also making use of the information Lutie had managed to get from the elves.

"The elves are most put out by the hiding of a treasure in Hogwarts," said Lutie. "Professor Dumbledore has had all the staff set up traps, according to their speciality to prevent anyone unauthorised from getting to it, but they refuse to have anything to do with feeding the troll, or the three headed dog on the third floor. And that's all it is, not an opening to the moon."

"Boring," said Draco.

"I wonder if we could beat all their traps?" said Fred.

"Not if Dad did one," said Orion. "Because he'd set up some kind of brewing or something, and deliberately include the wrong ingredients, or ones that were tampered with, to poison anyone who thought they'd won."

"Hey, that's not very fair," said George.

"No, but then who wants to be fair to a treasure thief?" reasoned Orion.

"What sort of Treasure?" asked Vince.

"Some stupid stone that makes an elixir of everlasting life," shrugged Lutie. "I say, I don't want to go back to being an elf. I wore my other shape and put on a tea towel and my feet were cold, and I had to sound like a moron on confusing and befuddling draught, and do what I was told."

"Oh, the philosopher's stone? It's real then?" Hermione asked.

"Apparently," said Lutie. "But I found a few useful things out for skanking around in a teatowel."

"We do appreciate it, Lutie," said Orion. "And nobody is going to expect you to go back to being an elf."

"My mother will."

"We'll talk fast," said Draco. "Dobby likes being free, he'll help."

"Most of the elves here are scared of the idea of being free; they don't understand that challenges are fun," said Lutie. "They think Dobby is sick or insane to like being free."

"Well, I suppose if you are used to a way of life, changing it might be scary," said Susan. "Aunt Amelia says most humans want decisions made for them, so if humans do, I guess elves would even more so."

"Wait a minute, are these elves _slaves_?" asked Hermione

"Yes, and if you can figure out a way to teach them to want anything different, you're better than me," said Lutie. "They bullied me most awfully when I started wearing a big form and clothes, the Malfoy elves, that is. Said I was wicked and ungrateful and a disgrace, and I had to do all my own laundry until my mother found out and put the fear of Madam Snape into them. They don't even understand that it's a special duty, which makes me more dutiful than those who wouldn't be free even to save one of the young masters' lives. They are pretty pathetic, Hermione, and the only thing we can do is to subvert the younger ones."

Hermione brightened.

"Good idea!" she agreed.

"All very well but what was the more useful thing you found?" asked Fred.

"There's a room they call the 'come and go room', which is properly called the Room of Requirement," said Lutie. "Elves use it for storage, but I discovered that those pupils who find it have used it to provide somewhere to sleep and hide, if being bullied, or to hide things they want kept safe. There's supposed to be a huge room of shelves with stuff people have hidden."

"Wow," said George. "Where is it? How do you get to it?"

"It's on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and his ballet-dancing trolls," said Lutie. "You walk up and down and wish for the sort of thing you want and then the door is there and you go in."

"Neat!" said Fred. "It's not on the map."

"Well if it isn't always there it couldn't be, could it?" said Hermione.

"Out of the mouths …"

"Of babes and sucklings… OW!" Hermione poked both Weasley twins.

"Well, what are we waiting for? It's Saturday and we have done all our homework, haven't we?" said Vince.

"I haven't," said Greg. "I was going to get someone to help me with mine."

"Ok, we'll do your homework after tea," said Draco. "Let's go and find a room which could be used to hide a horcrux."

"Could it be that easy?" wondered Neville.

"If Riddle knew about the room, and I bet he did, he would wish for a room to hide something, but do you think the thought of a horcrux wouldn't come to mind?" demanded Orion.

"Like not thinking about a white horse for five minutes … I guess so," said Neville.

They pelted up the stairs, heaving Susan after them as one of the staircases decided to move when they were most of the way up. Argus Filch moved forward to intercept, assuming that they were going to head for the out of bounds passage on the third floor, but they carried on going up.

"Wonder what that's about?" he muttered to Mrs. Norris, his tabby kneazle. "They got the look of mischief, you mark my words, or I don't know verminous little brats! But they ain't looking for it here, my love, no."

Mrs. Norris purred and indicated that if they had to hang around somewhere that smelled so much of dog, she needed an ear tickle.

The ten children felt a little silly walking back and forth in front of the woven trolls in balletic costume, their rather coarse muscles flexing disturbingly through their tights as they performed clumsy entrechats. The bottom of the tapestry shook as each one landed.

They were thinking of a room in which someone might hide a horcrux, picturing the diadem of Ravenclaw, and suddenly a door was there in the wall. Draco turned the handle and they marched in, in a body, into a huge room lined with shelves.

"Right," said Fred. " _Accio_ horcrux!"

He got a shield charm up in time to prevent himself from being impaled on the spiky decorative filigree work of the diadem.

"Bingo!" said George.

"Anyone got a hanky? I don't want to touch it with my bare hand," said Orion.

"Oh you boys are hopeless!" said Susan. "Here, I have two."

"Well prepared," said Orion, taking the neatly folded mansize hanky.

Two minutes later Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris were almost bowled over as the children charged all the way downstairs to the dungeon and Professor Snape's office.

They all knocked and the door flew open.

"I don't require a fusillade, just a single knock," said Severus waspishly. "Oh Merlin's belly button fluff! Is that what I think it is?" as Orion waved the diadem.

"Yes, sir, and Fred _accio'_ d horcrux so that's pretty conclusive."

"Well well! I believe I do have to tell the headmaster about this. Come into my sitting room and make yourselves at home; you will anyway," he added.

The sitting room had shabby but comfortable furniture and bookcases on every wall as well as piles of books on the floor and desk. The children piled onto the sofa, easy chair and cushions as Severus threw some floo powder into the fire.

"Ah, Albus," he said as the headmaster's head appeared, greenly, in the flames. "What is hidden is discovered."

"The stone?" the Headmaster looked rattled.

"No, Albus, something hidden a longer time ago than that," said Severus. "You had better come through and lend another voice to chant it into quiescence."

The fire crackled, and Albus Dumbledore stepped gracefully through, in a slight puff of soot.

He looked surprised to see so many children.

"Hello, Professor, we found it," said Fred.

"And … dear me, did you know what it was that you had found?"

"Of course we did, we were looking for it," said Orion indignantly. "Dad asked us to ferret about, so we did, and Fred used the summoning spell and it tried to attack him. That's why it's in a hanky," he added. "It's not very nice."

"And the sea is damp," said Severus, "and I am not fond of bright colours."

Orion giggled and hugged him.

"Bless my soul!" said Dumbledore.

"Yours doesn't need it the way Riddle's does," said Severus. "Very well, we might as well do it now, you children hold a simple chant, 'pure and clean' repeated over and over. It will assist Albus and me."

The children got up and formed a circle around the two adults and the diadem, and held hands, chanting. Severus chanted in his harsh voice in a language none of them knew, and the headmaster, startled, joined in. The diadem squirmed and tried to reach towards them, but it was out of reach, and eventually its wriggling slowed, and then finally stopped. Severus continued the chant for another full minute, then whipped out his wand, and pointed it at the diadem.

"Highly magical, if somewhat distorted and damaged, and affronted," he said, "But no longer a horcrux. Here, Hermione, you're a Ravenclaw, you stick it on and tell it that we want to nurture it, and relieve the distress it has suffered."

"Is it the diadem? If it is, it should only be worn by a worthy Ravenclaw," said Hermione.

"If you've the wit to wonder if you are worthy, that makes you more worthy then most of the precious loveys in the house," said Severus. "It says 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' which is the right sort of drivel for the carrion."

"Please, Severus," said Albus.

Hermione giggled.

"He's right about the precious loveys though," she said. "Headmaster, should I put it on?"

"I see no harm in it for someone so plainly what Rowena Ravenclaw had in mind for her followers," said Dumbledore.

Severus plonked the diadem down on Hermione's head and her eyes widened. Her lips moved slightly as though she was having a silent conversation and she gasped.

"Hermie, are you okay?" Draco asked, grabbing her hand.

She smiled at him and took the diadem off, carefully.

"Never better, Draco," she said. "What a powerful artefact!"

"What did it do?" asked Severus.

"It showed me how to open up my own mind to study better," said Hermione. "Everyone in Ravenclaw House has stories about it, and how it increases intellect, but it doesn't. It shows you how to make the most of your own intellect and open up more of your brain, the bits we don't normally use. And it's down to you if you train your thinking or not."

"Cor, Hermie, mate, can you teach us?" asked Greg.

"Yes, I think I can; because one of Rowena Ravenclaw's aims was to instil a love of learning in everyone, and you'd like it better if it came easier, wouldn't you?"

"Not sure I'd go as far as _loving_ learning, but I wouldn't half like to manage it a bit better," said Greg.

"Well well, most instructive," said Dumbledore, wishing he had tried it on himself arguing risk to a minor. Perhaps Filius would permit him to try it. "You had better run along to Filius and give it to him, and twenty points each to …. Good gracious, is there at least one of you from every house?"

"Yes sir; we took what the hat sang seriously," said Draco.

"Marvellous; friendships across all houses. And now, Miss Granger, I truly believe that all of you can be as a Harry Potter. Run along, my dears, and Severus can make me a cup of tea and explain why Ancient Egyptian."

They ran.

It may be said that Filius Flitwick at first thought that they were pranking him, especially with Fred and George there, but Hermione persuaded him to cast Scarpin's revellaspell on it.

"Oh my goodness!" he squeaked. "Oh my goodness! Miss Granger, have you been tempted?"

"Professor Snape told me to reassure it as a true Ravenclaw, and Professor Dumbledore said it was all right," said Hermione.

"But my dear! Why did you not come to me first?"

"Because Professor Snape knows how to deal with horcruces," said Hermione. "I didn't know if you did."

"Horcruces?" Flitwick's voice hit registers above those Celestina Warbeck could reach.

"Yes, it was one of Tom Riddle's horcruces," said Orion.

"My dear children! I hope you don't know what those are!"

"Of course we do, professor; Dad didn't want us to find one by accident and not know what it was, and we were looking for it for him," said Orion.

"Er, Dad?"

"Dad Severus," said Draco. "He's been looking for them all over for ages. And this is the last one unused, so sucks to Tom Riddle if he tries to come back because next time someone kills him he'll stay dead."

"Oh my goodness! What an affront to such a beautiful piece of magic!" Flitwick was almost overcome. "And did you reassure it, Hermione, my dear?"

"Yes, sir, I said I wasn't really worthy but it seemed to disagree, and said that you would find people worth talking to, to restore it. It showed me how to study better, which is a lot more useful than just being made cleverer," she added.

"Well well! You evidently were the right one to wear it," said Flitwick.

The children ran off, leaving the diadem with its proper custodian. It was not quite tea time, but the elves were good for sticky cakes if they went to wheedle, and all that hard work looking for horcruces deserved some reward.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The lessons were all interesting to the Marauders, and with help from Hermione's techniques, Vince and Greg were doing better than they might have expected, especially with the years of lessons with Remus Lupin at Malfoy Manor. Greg would never gain more than an 'A' for 'acceptable' in potions, but the help in being methodical at least meant that he was no longer 'death in the dungeon'. Hermione was usually top of the class in most lessons, with Draco, Orion and Neville vying for second, and Neville only placed lower because he had not had the advantage of the earlier lessons. His discovered magic was a thing of beauty, and if his wand motions were a little majestic and old fashioned, having learned them from his gran, they were most effective.

The exploring with the Weasley twins as Marauders was the best fun of all, however, and now that they knew how to find the Room of Requirements, they required it to be a den for ten Marauders, which included goodies from the kitchen and a lot of floor cushions for poring over the map together.

"Here's Ronnikins," said Fred, "Wondering whether he wants to peek in the door of certain death, poor nosy little idiot. And he's being followed by – HEY!"

"Peter Pettigrew? He's the one who killed my first parents, well got them killed!" shouted Orion as the footsteps moved onto the portion of the map they were examining.

"Come on, we gotta save Ron!" said George.

They hared off down four flights of stairs, scaring Ron royally.

"Where is he?" demanded Fred.

"Who?" quavered Ron, unnerved by the intense expressions on his brothers' faces.

"Peter Pettigrew, we saw him," said Neville, and bit the inside of his mouth so as not to say how they saw him.

"There's nobody here," said Ron. "It's why I was going to peek through the door and see what's there."

"Nothing much, it's a hell hound," said Draco. "Dad let that out. Could he have an invisibility cloak?"

"I wish I knew a spell to reveal them," said George. "We mustn't let him get away."

"Hey! Uncle Sirius said he was a rat animagus," said Orion, pointing at a rat.

"That's just Scabbers," said Ron.

"He's missing a finger," said Draco, intensely.

He and Orion exchanged looks and suddenly two creamy cats were pursuing the frightened rat, which made a bid for freedom too late.

With a pair of teeth round each back leg, the rat was cornered.

" _Incarcerous,_ " said Fred. "Handy spell, should conform to any change of shape. Who do we tell?"

"Madam Sprout won't like handing a Death Eater," said Neville.

"Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione.

"When in doubt go to the top," said Vince. "I don't suppose Professor Snape would want to be bothered."

They hared all the way downstairs with Ron in pursuit, protesting the ill treatment of his rat. They managed to come up with enough sweeties between them and they burst onto the moving spiral stair, and almost fell into Dumbledore's office, all speaking at once.

Fortunately Dumbledore was skilled enough at unravelling the revelations of excited children and soon got the gist.

"Patience, Ronald, my boy, if the others are wrong it will soon be revealed, and they will apologise for an excess of zeal," said Dumbledore, who had doubts that Peter Pettigrew could possibly be a family rat. He was prepared to act as though they were correct, however, and cancelled the bonds with a wave of his left hand as he pointed his wand and cast Homomorphus.

The rat deposited on a chair seat was a fat, rat-faced man on hands and knees, and Dumbledore, startled, restored the bindings.

"Well I never!" he said. "But my children, how did you know?"

The Marauders looked at the floor.

Hermione spoke up.

"We were investigating geomantic mapping," she said, "and a synchronosity charm tied to the stones of the castle and we saw feet labelled Peter Pettigrew so we ran down, and Draco noticed that one of the rat's toes was missing, and Orion said that Pettigrew was a rat animagus."

"Uncle Paddy wants to shake him until his brains run out of his nose," said Draco.

"Dear me, Sirius always did have a lurid imagination," said Dumbledore, as Pettigrew whinnied in terror. "I find myself awarding house points again to a most ingenious piece of deduction. I'm sorry, Ronald, but they were correct."

"You mean I've been looking after a DEATH EATER?" yelped Ron. "You bastard! I even let you sleep with me, you pervert!"

"C'mon Ronniekins, the head will want to deal with him, and you need butterbeer and sticky cakes," said Fred.

"So you all ran down to save me?" Ron was actually touched.

"Yeah, we thought he'd snuck into the castle to steal the philospher's stone and was going to use you as wolf meat …" Fred began.

"Steal the what?" Ron was puzzled.

"The philosopher's stone, which is why there's a three headed dog and other traps and tricks to help guard it on the third floor," said Orion, patiently. "It makes the elixir of eternal life. It's there as a trap for Tom Riddle, I think, not just to keep it safe, and we thought Pettigrew was going to steal it for him. To help give him back a body."

"Oh! Right," said Ron. "Hey, that was pretty brave to be ready to tackle a Death Eater. I wasn't going to go in, you know, just look."

"Which if he had been plotting to use you wouldn't have panned out if he threw you to the dog," said George.

"Honestly, it's not a difficult thing to get past," said Hermione. "According to legend, a Cerberus hound can be charmed with sweet music."

"Is it that easy?" asked Draco.

"Maybe not, but it might be worth trying, to test it," said Hermione.

"That's our true Ravenclaw," laughed Vince.

"How do you know all this?" asked Ron. "About what's there and the philosopher's stone?"

"Constructive eavesdropping," said Draco.

"Wow," said Ron.

"Should we invite him to join us?" asked George. "I mean, he is our brother, and he is decent enough really, even if he hadn't got the sense to get ahead of schoolwork by joining in the last few years."

Ron flushed. His brothers seemed to have a lot of fun, judging by what they said about their time at Malfoy Manor, and he had been jealous, but too pigheaded and stubborn to ask to be included.

"I don't need to be asked in to be the clown who doesn't know as much," he said, sulkily.

Fred slapped him across the back of the head.

"We were considering asking you because you're okay, not for any other reason," he said. "But if you don't want in, and don't want to learn more to make life easier, then go and make up to pompous prefectual Percy; I don't suppose he'd put himself out to go against a Death Eater, it isn't in the rules."

Ron flushed.

"Iwannajoinin," he said, all in one word.

"Right. Then you have to sign the contract and swear the oath not to betray secrets." Fred spoke up.

"Last time you tried to make me swear an oath it was an unbreakable vow," said Ron, fearfully.

"And we wouldn't have succeeded because we didn't know what we were doing," said George.

"If you try to speak out, you get _langlock_ on you because it stops you saying anything," said Hermione, crisply. "Because we have some secrets that could get some of us killed, and it's not a kid's gang, it's bigger than that and to be honest I don't think most of us know Ron well enough to want him in without a bit more proof that he's going to stand by us. He can be a prat."

"Well, thanks for nothing," said Ron.

"Well, if you join in when Hermione teaches us how to learn more betterer because of what the diadem of Ravenclaw told her, and join in some holiday lessons, we'll get to know him better, won't we?" said Draco. "Not all the study group is in, we lost Greengrasse and Zabini because they were only too ready to run away when some big boys tried to bully us on the train. So we didn't invite them in at all."

"Right." Ron considered. "I wouldn't desert a friend."

"That's why we thought of inviting you," said Fred. "I know you guys don't know him, but as brothers go, he really is okay."

"Will you swear the oath?" asked Orion.

"Oh, all right," said Ron. "But I don't want to do too much extra work."

"It's ok, Ron, mate, it's not hard, and it helps those of us who aren't much cop at lessons," spoke up Greg. As Ron had resented a Goyle being ahead of him in class, this was a clincher.

"Ok," he agreed.

Half an hour later, Ron was gobsmacked, and kept staring covertly at Orion.

"Mum would give anything to know you were safe," he said.

"So would Tom Riddle, and it's him we want to keep it from," said Orion, soberly. "I don't want to even risk the glad news being shared until Riddle is dead and gone."

"Ok, I can see that," said Ron. "Well, nobody will get it out of me."

"Good man," said Draco.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"I wonder why the Third Floor corridor is still out of bounds now they have Peter Pettigrew," wondered Draco as the Marauders drank pumpkin juice.

"Maybe they suspect someone else of being an agent of Tom Riddle," said George.

"And as Professor Dumbledore seemed pretty surprised to see the little rat, I bet he never even considered him," said Ron, rather crummily, through a mouthful of cream doughnut.

"Good point, our Ron," said Fred. "Right, who could it be?"

"Any number of the older Slytherin," said Orion. "I suspect Flint."

"He isn't sneaking around looking at the corridor though," said Lutie. "I asked some of the other elves to watch the nastiest; they think they are doing it to help me avoid trouble, because I'm always polite to them in my human form."

"Good one," approved Hermione. "It's important to be polite to the elves, it's bad enough them being slaves without people being rude when they can't retaliate."

"Oh elves have a way of retaliating; they're in charge of the food," said Lutie. "They can make sure that the portion anyone who disrespects them is always cold, or burning hot, or suddenly goes off on the plate. I know how to do that sort of magic. Rancid cream on dessert and cold stew gets the message across."

"Handy," said Orion. "I say, can you teach us elf magic?"

"I don't know, but I can try," said Lutie.

"Who's the creepiest teacher?" asked Hermione.

"Filch, not that he's a teacher," said Fred.

"No, he really loves Mrs. Norris, I've seen him pet her," said Orion. "And Tom Riddle is loveless."

"Well, Snape then," said Ron, "The evil bat of the dungeon. Some people say he's a vampire. What?" as everyone else fell about laughing.

"He's Draco's and Orion's stepdad, and he's cool," said Neville.

"He'd take it as a compliment, Ron, mate, so don't worry," laughed Draco.

"Right, sorry," said Ron, blushing.

"'Sokay, like Draco said, he likes the image," said Orion. "I think Quirrel is the creepiest."

"And we never did get around to levitating his turban off," said Fred. "Say, do you reckon he might have the dark mark on his head, so he can show his arms free of marks?"

"It's a point, but wouldn't his hair have grown back to cover it by now?" asked Hermione.

"Not if being a cursed mark it won't let hair grow," reasoned George.

"Grand! Let's do it to him at breakfast," said Fred.

"We so are going to be in trouble," moaned Hermione.

"No, we claim it was a matter of … of constant vigilance, which is what one of the top aurors always says," said Susan. "And because there was one Death Eater hidden in the school, it doesn't rule out that there might be others."

"That's actually brilliant, Susan," said Orion, his eyes shining. "Because we're in pretty good odour for finding one horcrux and one Death Eater already, and they can't really tell us off too much about being over-zealous."

"If you think we can get away with that…" Hermione was dubious.

"And who was it who originated the idea that we are ALL Harry Potter?" said Draco, tickling her.

She squealed and giggled.

"Well, yes, I suppose so," she agreed.

"Good, let's do it." George decided for them.

The Marauders were keyed up at breakfast, and had decided that they would all cast the levitation spell together when Fred sneezed, as he was able to do very realistic, loud sneezes.

And as the teachers all sat down, Fred sneezed.

The concerted efforts of eleven children jerked the turban off Quirrell's head so successfully that it flew right across the room, and Quirrell screamed.

So did Madam Trelawney, who was seated where she could see the back of Quirrell's head.

Severus was on his feet and over there in a flash, and suddenly Quirrell was turning on him, pouring spells into the potions master. Dumbledore was moving round to face the back of Quirrell's head.

There was a face, a maleveolent, snake-like face, on the back of Quirrell's skull. And the children in the hall were screaming.

" _wingardium leviosa, on the tureen!"_ shouted Orion.

And the Marauders were lifting the big tureen of porridge, full and heavy, and positioning it above Quirrell. The face on the back looked up and screeched at Quirrell as they got it in position, but the body of the sick-looking man was too slow, and the spells were dropped all at once and the heavy tureen smashed onto the head of the twin entity.

Quirrell went down like a stone.

"I will retur…." The malevolent other face hissed, then a look of horror passed briefly over the repellent features before the red eyes rolled up in his head.

"Crumbs, was that Tom Riddle himself?" asked Orion, into stunned silence.

"Yes, my boy, that was Tom Riddle, self styled Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "And it appears that Miss Granger is quite correct. You are all Harry Potter. I declare a holiday."

"I'd make the little perishers work to keep their minds off it, personally," muttered Severus, but he was overruled.

The Daily Prophet next day contained a glowing article, listing the names of the heroic first and third years who had actually killed Voldemort properly, and Hermione mimed being sick at the gushing prose.

And Narcissa Snape cried tears of joy that her sons and her husband were no longer at risk.

 **finis for the moment**

 _I will probably be writing more, there are more challenges in the world than one self-styled lord of darkness. I am also considering having Narcissa agree to telling people like Molly and Dumbledore the truth, and as it's a secret between Order members it will soon be plastered all across the 'Prophet'  
_


End file.
